Gareth Ainsworth should be looking to offload 21-year-old from QPR in the summer: Opinion
During the previous summer window, Queens Park Rangers decided to conduct a reasonable amount of transfer activity.
During the previous summer window, Queens Park Rangers decided to conduct a reasonable amount of transfer activity.
As well as securing the services of the likes of Kenneth Paal, Tyler Roberts, Ethan Laird and Ethan Iroegbunam, the R’s also sanctioned their fair share of departures.
One of the players who was allowed to leave the club on a temporary basis last July was Charlie Kelman.
Kelman would have been hoping to force his way into QPR’s plans for the 2022/23 campaign after spending the second half of the previous campaign on loan at Gillingham.
In this particular spell, the forward managed to provide three direct goal contributions in 23 league appearances for the Gills as the club suffered relegation from the third-tier.
However, instead of being handed the chance to impress at senior level for QPR, Kelman instead was sent to Leyton Orient.
The 21-year-old initially made an impressive start to this stint as he was directly involved in five goals in six appearances in League Two.
Unfortunately for Kelman, he has not managed to push on in recent months as he has struggled considerably with his consistency.
Since the turn of the year, the forward has failed to find the back of the net despite featuring on 10 occasions for the O’s in League Two.
Whereas Kelman is currently on course to achieve promotion with Orient due to the fact that the club are 16 points clear of Stockport County (4th in League Two), his long-term future at QPR is uncertain.
Having been drafted in as a replacement for Neil Critchley yesterday, Gareth Ainsworth will need to make a call on Kelman when the forward returns to Loftus Road at the end of May.
Given that Kelman has only managed to average a WhoScored match rating of 6.52 in League Two, he may not possess the quality that will be needed to play in the Championship next season.
With the former Southend United man’s contract set to expire later this year, Ainsworth simply has to consider sanctioning a permanent departure for Kelman.
Kelman is unlikely to force his way into QPR’s side next season due to the presence of Lyndon Dykes, who has scored 27 goals for the Championship side during his time at the club, and Sinclair Armstrong.
Armstrong has moved above Kelman in the pecking order as he has been deployed on 19 occasions by the R’s in all competitions.
In contrast to these two aforementioned players, Kelman has only ever made 15 appearances for QPR during his career and has yet to find the back of the net in a competitive fixture.
Considering that Ainsworth is also likely to add to his options in this position in the upcoming window, Kelman’s first-team opportunities will be scarce if he remains a part of the club’s plans for future.
Keeping this in mind, it could be argued that the forward may end up benefitting from being allowed to leave the R’s as it will give him the opportunity to join a club who are willing to play him week-in, week-out over the course of the coming seasons.
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