QPR should swoop for services of ex-Brentford free agent winger: Opinion.
With the R’s still lacking a little something in the final third, Gareth Ainsworth should look towards Tariqe Fosu, who still is without a club.
A month is a long time in football, and Queens Park Rangers fans probably think their 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Watford on the opening day of the Championship season was now a long time ago.
The mood among the R’s fanbase following that result was perhaps at an all-time low – they only just about survived relegation last season following a complete collapse in form midway through the campaign and the fact that the Hornets ran riot on them to open the campaign was not what the doctor ordered.
In fairness, head coach Gareth Ainsworth was without any natural centre-backs with Championship experience, and their two wins away at Cardiff City and Middlesbrough since has showed that there is something to work with.
The Hoops’ transfer activity was pretty underwhelming to say the very least – some experience was added in Steve Cook, Jack Colback, Morgan Fox and Asmir Begovic whilst Ziyad Larkeche and Paul Smyth both add some potential excitement and pace out wide, either at left-back, wing-back or on the wing.
The emergence of Sinclair Armstrong into a more prominent role is also exciting, but despite keeping the likes of Ilias Chair and Chris Willock, you cannot help but feel that QPR are still missing something in the final third.
Midfielder Andre Dozzell played in a more advanced, wider role and scored a cracker against Boro, but with Smyth currently playing at wing-back and Willock only on the bench, there is a clear need for another option in attack.
And there is perhaps the perfect option for Ainsworth on the free agents market in the form of Tariqe Fosu, with the 27-year-old still without a club following his departure from Brentford over the summer.
Who is Tariqe Fosu?
Fosu started his career as a youngster with Reading but failed to make the grade with the Royals, eventually joining Charlton Athletic in 2017.
After two years with the Addicks, Fosu moved to Oxford United, but that lasted just half a season as Brentford snapped the winger up from the U’s for £750,000 after scoring eight times in 25 League One appearances.
Fosu played regularly for the Bees as they won promotion from the Championship in 2020–21, appearing in 41 league games. However, after they were promoted to the Premier League, his playing time decreased, and in 2021–22, he appeared just once in the top division.
The four-cap Ghanaian international spent the previous campaign on loan at Rotherham and Stoke, but it was there where he made the biggest difference.
But even though Fosu only made three goal-related contributions for Matt Taylor’s team, that doesn’t fully capture his impact to the team’s success.
Why would Tariqe Fosu be a good signing for QPR?
One positive thing that Fosu provides is versatility – something which in Ainsworth’s different systems could be very important.
Fosu began his career as a winger, but he was also used as a wing-back at Brentford and, more recently, at Stoke, where he could play on both sides of the field.
When he was at Rotherham, Fosu played in a more unfamiliar role through the middle of the park for the most part, utilizing his energy in a different position but also operating out wide as a winger in a few matches.
At his best, Fosu is a very effective ball carrier who will go at defenders, whether it’s towards the byline to whip in a cross or to cut in and try to make something happen, and with his Championship experience and the fact that he’s in the prime years of his career, he should be able to make something happen.
Willock and Chair are two of the most creative players in the league on their finest days, but Willock’s day hasn’t truly been since the first two months of last season, and his injury record is iffy at best.
With Smyth playing in a new position and Albert Adomah nearing the end of his career, there is a need for a player like Fosu, especially if Ainsworth wants to pack the midfield since he lacks a guy who can play as a ‘eight’ who is predominantly forward-thinking.
It would make perfect sense for QPR to pursue Fosu, and his wage demands should be modest enough to try and get a deal done.
