Should he stay, or should he go?
Dec 9, 2021 15:17:26 GMT
Post by kingfisher on Dec 9, 2021 15:17:26 GMT
The quoted text below came from a 'The72.com' article today, and I think will generate a fair bit of opinion:
For what it is worth, I question whether there is merit in keeping Wallace and even Odubajo after this season if they are going to always be struggling to perform regularly as a wing-back. It is certainly the most physically demanding role on the pitch, and sadly seems to have got the better of both.
QPR find themselves in the midst of a promotion charge, sitting in 5th-place of the Championship table as we approach January.
QPR have become genuine promotion contenders in what is Mark Warburton’s third season at the helm. It’s been a rocky tenure to date for the former Brentford boss, but he’s cementing his name as one of the R’s best managers of the past decade. Ahead of January, there’ll be plenty of decisions for him and the club to finalise, with seven of their first-team players coming into the final six months of their contracts in the New Year.
Here we look at those seven players, and run the rule over their futures at QPR…
Yoann Barbet
Perhaps the most pressing name on the list of players out of contract at the end of this season is Yoann Barbet. The Frenchman is on a run of some 80 plus games without missing a single minute of action for QPR, having becoming a mainstay in the side since his 2019 arrival. He’s a fan favourite and an integral part of the current back-five that Warburton deploys, and it’d be hugely surprising if the R’s were to let Barbet go at the end of this season.
Moses Odubajo
Another former Brentford man, Odubajo joined QPR on a one-year deal in the summer following a trial period. He’s since featured 14 times in the Championship this season and has been a really useful player for Warburton, though injury has kept him out of three of the last four league fixtures. His abilities certainly warrant a new deal, but for the Englishman it’s a question of fitness, and maintaining it.
Dom Ball
Ball joined QPR on a free transfer in the summer of 2019 and in his first campaign at the club would prove something of a cult hero. Last season became more of a struggle for the midfielder though and this time round, Ball has become a back-up player with Warburton now having plenty of options in midfield. The 26-year-old remains a useful player but one who’s split opinion among fans in the past season-and-a-half, and so he could be one who the club possibly look to release next summer.
Albert Adomah
Uncle Albert joined the club ahead of last season and featured 34 times in the Championship, scoring twice and assisting five. This season, Adomah has become a much more integral player to the side – he often find himself filling in on the right side of defence and he does so to great effect. Despite his age, the fan favourite could easily earn himself a contract extension if he maintains his decent form throughout this season.
Lee Wallace
Another veteran in this side who fans have grown to love, Lee Wallace made his much-awaited return from injury last month, only to find himself injured once again. The 34-year-old gives the side so much stability and confidence when he features but he’s becoming too injury prone for the club’s good – as much as fans would love to have a fit and firing Wallace in their ranks, it seems like the Scot may well be nearing the end of his QPR stay.
Dillon Barnes
The goalkeeper is well out of favour at the club. He’s never made a league appearance for the R’s having instead spent time out on loan with the likes of Hibernian and Burton Albion in recent seasons. With the goalkeeping department relatively stacked at QPR, letting Barnes go next summer could be an easy decision for the club officials.
Charlie Owens
And another player in a similar boat to Barnes is Charlie Owens. The former Spurs youngster is someone who R’s fans have know about for some time but have never really seen – injury has kept him out for the best part of two years and after signing a one-year extension last summer, there’s a sense that Warburton needs to see some sort of fitness from him this season to even consider a renewal.
QPR have become genuine promotion contenders in what is Mark Warburton’s third season at the helm. It’s been a rocky tenure to date for the former Brentford boss, but he’s cementing his name as one of the R’s best managers of the past decade. Ahead of January, there’ll be plenty of decisions for him and the club to finalise, with seven of their first-team players coming into the final six months of their contracts in the New Year.
Here we look at those seven players, and run the rule over their futures at QPR…
Yoann Barbet
Perhaps the most pressing name on the list of players out of contract at the end of this season is Yoann Barbet. The Frenchman is on a run of some 80 plus games without missing a single minute of action for QPR, having becoming a mainstay in the side since his 2019 arrival. He’s a fan favourite and an integral part of the current back-five that Warburton deploys, and it’d be hugely surprising if the R’s were to let Barbet go at the end of this season.
Moses Odubajo
Another former Brentford man, Odubajo joined QPR on a one-year deal in the summer following a trial period. He’s since featured 14 times in the Championship this season and has been a really useful player for Warburton, though injury has kept him out of three of the last four league fixtures. His abilities certainly warrant a new deal, but for the Englishman it’s a question of fitness, and maintaining it.
Dom Ball
Ball joined QPR on a free transfer in the summer of 2019 and in his first campaign at the club would prove something of a cult hero. Last season became more of a struggle for the midfielder though and this time round, Ball has become a back-up player with Warburton now having plenty of options in midfield. The 26-year-old remains a useful player but one who’s split opinion among fans in the past season-and-a-half, and so he could be one who the club possibly look to release next summer.
Albert Adomah
Uncle Albert joined the club ahead of last season and featured 34 times in the Championship, scoring twice and assisting five. This season, Adomah has become a much more integral player to the side – he often find himself filling in on the right side of defence and he does so to great effect. Despite his age, the fan favourite could easily earn himself a contract extension if he maintains his decent form throughout this season.
Lee Wallace
Another veteran in this side who fans have grown to love, Lee Wallace made his much-awaited return from injury last month, only to find himself injured once again. The 34-year-old gives the side so much stability and confidence when he features but he’s becoming too injury prone for the club’s good – as much as fans would love to have a fit and firing Wallace in their ranks, it seems like the Scot may well be nearing the end of his QPR stay.
Dillon Barnes
The goalkeeper is well out of favour at the club. He’s never made a league appearance for the R’s having instead spent time out on loan with the likes of Hibernian and Burton Albion in recent seasons. With the goalkeeping department relatively stacked at QPR, letting Barnes go next summer could be an easy decision for the club officials.
Charlie Owens
And another player in a similar boat to Barnes is Charlie Owens. The former Spurs youngster is someone who R’s fans have know about for some time but have never really seen – injury has kept him out for the best part of two years and after signing a one-year extension last summer, there’s a sense that Warburton needs to see some sort of fitness from him this season to even consider a renewal.
For what it is worth, I question whether there is merit in keeping Wallace and even Odubajo after this season if they are going to always be struggling to perform regularly as a wing-back. It is certainly the most physically demanding role on the pitch, and sadly seems to have got the better of both.
