Under summer hire Julien Stéphan, QPR has enjoyed a strong start to the season.
The Frenchman, who previously worked with Rennes and Strasbourg, is in charge of his first English football position after Martí Cifuentes left.
Over the remainder of the season, the Hoops want to improve on their 2024–2025 Championship table result of 15th.
The first half of the term has seen some highs and lows, with some players excelling and others falling short.
With the team maybe in the running for a play-off spot if they can find their rhythm in 2026, Stéphan will be eager to get the most out of his players.
Karamoko Demeble’s unsatisfactory assertion
Due to his lack of offensive contributions, FLW’s QPR fan analyst Louis Moir identified Karamoko Dembele as the player who has disappointed him the most this season thus far.
Despite his continued optimism that the 22-year-old may become a valuable member of the team and a top player, he wants to see more from him considering the quantity of opportunities he has been given.
Moir told Football League World, “I think Dembele is one player who I was expecting just ten times more than what I’ve seen so far.”
“I still believe he has what it takes to be a very good player, but he hasn’t had many chances this season, whether it’s starting games or coming in on [from the bench], and he’s not contributing much, and when he has the ball, he’s getting a little predictable.
“You are aware of his next move.
Because there is clearly competition for spots now, I still think he can succeed and be a significant player for us, whether that means playing on the right or in the 10 position.
“He didn’t perform well at the beginning of the season, but he improved a little in a few games.
Moir gives the attacker a five or six out of ten because he thinks there should be more from him and that players like Kwame Poku, Harvey Vale, Paul Smyth, and Koki Saito might take his spot on the team.
“And I just think that, on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d probably give him a five or a six at the most,” he continued.
“He ought to be performing much better, and we all know that he is capable of performing at a level where he could be considered an unplayable player on his best day.
“But we need to see it and he needs to start doing it; otherwise, players like Saito, Harvey Vale when healthy, Poku, and Smyth, who has been good, will take the position in the team where he could potentially make it his own.
“It’s really unfortunate because he definitely has the potential; he just needs to become much more consistent and start making an impact on games, scoring goals, making better decisions when he gets the ball, and not being so predictable.
“I sincerely hope he does well in the end because, once more, he’s just another player who can significantly improve our squad.
“I’m still holding out hope that he gets well, but we’ll have to see it through to the conclusion.
It appears that managers give him a high rating as he is given opportunities.
“We saw glimmers of Dembele’s potential when he was on loan last season, so I still have faith in him, but we need to see things happen on the field right now.”
Before making the permanent move to Loftus Road in the summer, Dembele played the previous season on loan from Brest.
In 23 Championship games, he scored three goals and provided four assists, helping QPR finish 15th in the standings.
To maintain his spot on the team, Karamoko Dembele must get better.
Dembele hasn’t yet demonstrated any true offensive danger despite playing a lot this season, both as a starter and off the bench.
In order to avoid dropping far down the hierarchy, he needs to make a big improvement in the second half of the campaign.
Time is undoubtedly on his side because he is still only 22, but competition for playing time at QPR is intensifying.
Supporters have been disappointed that his effect has decreased rather than increased this season given his performances while on loan.
xz
