Since former manager Gareth Ainsworth was fired, Marti Cifuentes has overseen two draws in his first games in charge of Queens Park Rangers.
The R’s and Bristol City drew 0-0 on Saturday at Loftus Road as Cifuentes’ team resumed their regrettable habit of not giving their opponents enough trouble in the last third of the game.
Under Cifuentes, QPR has only managed one goal, and that came on Saturday, November 4, in a 1-1 tie with fellow struggling team Rotherham, thanks to an outstanding Ilias Chair goal.
This season, only Sheffield Wednesday have scored fewer Championship goals than the R’s. Creativity has also been a major problem. However, midfield star Andre Dozzell, whose contract runs through, is one player who is definitely not to blame for QPR’s problems.
Dozzell adds a genuine creative edge to the West Londoners, therefore Cifuentes must grant him a new contract before it’s too late.
Fotmob reports that Dozzell, 24, has created 15 opportunities so far this season, but his efforts have only yielded one assist. As such, one could argue that Dozzell could have contributed more goals if he was paired with more potent attackers.
If the R’s had taken more advantage of the opportunities Dozzell alone created, they could have scored a lot more goals than their current total of 11 Championship goals.
This gives Cifuentes, the new manager, even more justification to lock down his player to a long-term deal at Loftus Road.
All Championship watchers can see how good a player Dozzell is individually with the ball, as evidenced by his remarkable dribble success rate of 83.3%.
The former England Under-19 Euros winner has also scored twice this season, tying for QPR’s second-highest scorer title. However, some may argue that this figure highlights the R’s poor goal-scoring performance, particularly in light of the fact that full-back Kenneth Paal leads the team with just three goals.
Dozzell has improved personally despite the team’s recent struggles, as seen by the fact that his two goals this season were his first two goals for the R’s.
Is Dozzell due to sign a new contract?
Maybe not quite yet, as even if the R’s six-game losing streak came to an end under new manager Cifuentes, the West London team is still in a concerning scenario as they are five points outside of safety.
In the unlikely scenario of relegation, Dozzell could not be held responsible for leaving the R’s on a free agent because he is too talented to be relegated to the third division. Relegation is still a real possibility.
This, in the club’s opinion, makes it the more imperative to offer Dozell a new contract as soon as it is practically feasible.
Everyone associated with QPR would feel more confident if a key player were to sign a new deal. This kind of confidence can assist a struggling team achieve success in the future.
Dozzell has contributed significantly to QPR since joining in 2021, but this season has seen him perform at his best, so Cifuentes will be eager to work out a new contract with the midfield star.
Leave a Reply