QPR can unleash new weapon in 2026/27 - Julien Stephan will know it | OneFootball

Kwame Poku can be a major asset for Julien Stephan and Queens Park Rangers next season

Queens Park Rangers have been too inconsistent to launch a serious Championship promotion bid this term, but Julien Stephan has produced some moments of promise in his first season managing in English football.

The R's showed their attacking prowess when they hammered Portsmouth 6-1 on 21 March, and they went on to defeat Watford 2-1 on Good Friday before drawing 1-1 with Preston North End on Easter Monday.

QPR have scored a similar number of goals to some of the teams in the promotion race this season, including Middlesbrough and Millwall, but Stephan's side have struggled defensively.

The West London club's backline has been their main issue this term, but there is no doubt that their attack could also become more potent in the Championship next season.

Kwame Poku can re-establish his best form for Queens Park Rangers next season

Following former boss Marti Cifuentes' exit and Stephan's arrival last summer, QPR enjoyed a busy summer transfer window.

The R's bolstered their frontline by signing strikers Rumarn Burrell and Richard Kone from Burton Albion and Wycombe Wanderers, respectively.

Both the 25-year-old and the 22-year-old have adjusted to the Championship reasonably well, having played in the third-tier last term, and Stephan will hope that they can perform even better next campaign.

Meanwhile, before signing either Burrell or Kone, the West Londoners also acquired Kwame Poku from League One outfit Peterborough United last summer.

Poku was a superb attacking threat in his last season with Posh, scoring 12 goals and producing 10 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions, suggesting that he was ready for the challenge of Championship football.

When the winger joined the R's, CEO Christian Nourry told the club website: "Kwame is a player that the QPR recruitment department have been interested in for over four years.

"His decision to join the football club today in the face of interest from Europe-competing teams abroad, and Championship teams with significantly bigger budgets than us, is a fantastic validation of the direction we are moving in, including a specialised focus on individual player development."

However, due to injury problems, Poku has been limited to just 13 league appearances for the Loftus Road club, and has been unable to deliver his promise.

In those 13 fixtures, the winger has failed to score a goal or produce an assist, which suggests that he has struggled for confidence since returning to fitness.

Poku has also been handed just three Championship starts, but Stephan will know that the 24-year-old can provide significantly more promise next term.

The former Colchester United man scored 12 goals in both of his last two seasons with Peterborough, demonstrating admirable consistency and attacking threat.

Without having to make a new signing, Stephan will have a major asset next season who has not been available for QPR this campaign.

The Frenchman will know that, despite the winger's struggles this term, he is more than capable of causing Championship defenders plenty of problems next season, owing to his direct dribbling play.

Poku can enhance his chances of having a successful 2026/27 campaign by making a goal contribution in one of his side's five remaining second-tier fixtures this season.

Kwame Poku's presence can help QPR move Ilias Chair on

While Poku has yet to show the R's his quality, long-serving attacker Ilias Chair has proven that he is no longer capable of producing the sort of returns he managed in years gone by.

Chair proved himself as one of the best attacking midfielders in the Championship when he made 15 goal contributions in the 2023/24 campaign.

However, last season, the 28-year-old notched just two goals and two assists, and he has missed the vast majority of QPR's games this term, thanks to injury problems.

Chair's struggles of late could mean that the R's are tempted to cash in on his services this summer, and Poku's presence may make that an easier decision.