Marti Cifuentes may be feeling big QPR regret as Christian Nourry, Julien Stephan revolution begins | OneFootball

Marti Cifuentes may be regretting the events that led to his QPR exit after Julien Stephan was appointed as his replacement at Loftus Road.

A new era is underway at Queens Park Rangers following the appointment of Julien Stephan as the club's new head coach.

QPR finally confirmed the departure of Marti Cifuentes on Tuesday night, almost two months after placing him on gardening leave back in April ahead of the final game of the season, with the decision coming after it was reported that his representatives had held talks with West Bromwich Albion over their vacant managerial position.

It was later revealed that Cifuentes was not on the Baggies' list of candidates to replace Tony Mowbray, with Tottenham Hotspur assistant coach Ryan Mason eventually taking over at The Hawthorns, but after the saga, there was no way back for the Spaniard at Loftus Road, and his near 20-month reign has now officially come to an end.

Cifuentes' exit may only have been announced yesterday, but the R's search for his replacement has been going on for some time, and after being rejected by ex-Norwich City boss Johannes Hoff Thorup earlier in the summer, the club named Julien Stephan as their new head coach on Wednesday morning.

Stephan has previously had spells in charge of Rennes and Strasbourg in France, leading the former to Champions League qualification for the first time in their history in the 2019-20 season, and the 44-year-old claimed he was "very proud and excited" to be taking over at Loftus Road, while he promised to deliver a team that plays with "intensity, energy and personality".

Julian Stephan arrival will increase QPR optimism after promising summer business

Despite not having a manager in place for much of the summer, QPR's preparations for the new season are well underway.

The R's have tied a number of players down to new contracts this summer, including the likes of Joe Walsh, Murphy Cooper, Jimmy Dunne, Steve Cook, Sam Field and Michael Frey, showing a clear belief from the squad in the project CEO Christian Nourry is building at the club.

While it was important to secure the futures of Cook, Field and Frey, convincing Dunne to sign a new deal was a big statement of intent from the Hoops, particularly after Nourry claimed that the defender "had the pick of the Championship clubs in this window", with Sheffield United believed to have been one of those interested.

QPR are yet to make any new signings so far this summer, but that could all be set to change amid reports that the West London outfit are one of three clubs to have agreed a deal with Peterborough United for winger Kwame Poku, along with Swansea City and one other unnamed side, while they are also keen to bring in Reading defender Amadou Mbengue.

Given that Poku has previously been linked with Birmingham City, Ipswich Town and Rangers, it would be a real coup for the R's to win the race for the in-demand 23-year-old, and if they were able to fight off competition from Watford, Preston North End and Charlton Athletic for Mbengue, it would send another strong message to the rest of the Championship.

After appointing a former Ligue 1 and Champions League manager in Stephan, optimism is building at Loftus Road ahead of the new season, and the Hoops could be one of the dark horses in the second tier next term.

As QPR continue to build towards the new season, it is difficult not to wonder how Cifuentes may be feeling after his departure was confirmed.

Cifuentes took to social media on Tuesday night to share a heartfelt message with R's supporters, insisting that he is leaving with "a heart full of gratitude" and claiming that he is "proud to have been a part of this club".

In the weeks prior to Cifuentes being placed on gardening leave, it was reported that he was considering walking away from the club after a breakdown in his relationship with Nourry, and his representatives holding talks with West Brom appeared to be the final straw in the increasingly strained relationship between the pair.

However, with the Hoops' squad clearly firmly on board with Nourry's project and a high-profile manager in Stephan now joining the club, Cifuentes may now be feeling some remorse about the events that led to his Loftus Road departure, particularly after failing to land another Championship job.

Cifuentes may have felt that he would easily have been able to walk into another second tier club after leaving QPR, and with vacancies emerging at Sheffield United, Bristol City, Middlesbrough, Norwich City, Watford and Hull City over the course of the summer, it would have been fair to assume that he would have been in the frame for some of those roles.

As it turned out, Cifuentes does not seem to have been seriously considered by any Championship sides this summer, with his stock perhaps falling due to the R's inconsistent season last term and his handling of his departure, and he is now left without a club with just a month to go until the new season and most jobs now filled.

Of course, if Cifuentes and Nourry's relationship was damaged beyond repair, his exit was the right decision for all parties, but the 42-year-old may be regretting leaving the club at a time when they look to be heading on an upward trajectory.