QPR Recruitment Focus: Right-Back
With Jimmy Dunne’s recent revelation at right-back, there is argument that this problem has already been solved. However, with Osman Kakay and Aaron Drewe both out of contract at the end of June and Reggie Cannon yet to convince — I feel there’s a need to improve in both the quality and depth we have at the right-back spot. I’ve taken a look through the leagues and found 5 potential options that would make sense for QPR to pursue this summer!
Same caveats as the previous Recruitment Focus article apply; looking at players aged 26 and under that aren’t going to break the bank for transfer fees or on wages. The suggestions below have passed the eye-test in their respective leagues, as well as being statistically strong — make sure to read through the statistical comparisons of the players I’ve suggested at the bottom of this article for further context. I hope you enjoy and if you have any further suggestions — i’d love for you to comment them below or respond on Twitter/X, thank you!
Liam Bennett — Cambridge United
Bennett is a good ball carrier who drives into space aggressively when bombing forward. Has the ability to actively participate in link up play with midfielders and forwards; often playing short, sharp passes to get himself or his teammates in-behind the full-back. His crossing is often from a deeper position and he likes to float balls to the back post — allowing teammates to get on the end of the cross or the knock-down. Bennett’s reactions and intensity of play really stand out — making me believe that he can wouldn’t require significant improvement to play at Championship level.
I really enjoyed watching Bennett’s high-energy approach when reviewing his League 1 campaign, coupled with an impressive 62% dribbling success rate. Using his pace and great close control, he also manages to win 1.73 fouls per 90 minutes which makes him a fantastic option for QPR as a progressive, attacking minded RB. With 70 appearances at League One level, and a further 20 in League Two when he was loaned to Walsall, Bennett has decent EFL experience — demonstrating growth in his performances and consistency during that time.
The 22-year old’s contract is expiring at the end of this season, which makes it enticing for any club hunting for a cheap deal for a young full-back. With Cambridge United lingering in 18th place, Bennett may be looking to move on to a club that offers more stability and consistency (is that us?) and a step-up to the Championship, if we’re there, may entice him. I think it would be ambitious to say that Bennett will come in and be involved heavily — but as a long-term project, he’s got a high floor that I’d hope our coaching staff can build upon to make him a success at QPR.
Lasse Sorensen — Lincoln City
Sorensen possesses great energy and work rate that shone during his stint at right-wing back this season, displaying consistently good crossing and passing to progress play from the back into the final third of the pitch. He also has a strong first touch and is competent with both feet, making him a real threat down the right hand side. Sorensen has been brilliant this year in his attacking contributions, but he can position himself well and battle defensively to a sufficient standard too.
Sorensen spent the season at wing-back in a fantastic Lincoln side that have been free-scoring and a treat to watch. While he’s been very effective at wing-back, his history of playing in central midfield shines through in some of his statistics — with 12 goal contributions and 46 chances created this season. Sorensen is in the top 10% of players in League One for chances created and top 12% for successful crosses too, which is a major reason why I think QPR should be deeply interested in his future plans. While Cifuentes’ isn’t likely to set up with wing-backs, I believe Sorensen is ready for the step up to the Championship; with or without Lincoln.
Sorensen’s consistency in delivering balls in to the box would be a welcome addition to QPR’s right hand-side and something we’ve lacked for some time. With his contract expiring in just 2 months time, it makes sense financially for QPR to pursue such a deal, although it could descend into a bidding war between clubs and his agent for higher wages if there are a many suitors. He could even re-sign with Lincoln if they were to make the playoffs and get promoted, but ultimately, a chance to test himself at Championship level could be a real pull — if Rangers can keep themselves up.
Julian Lelieveld — RKC Waalwijk
Lelieveld shows good defensive positioning to cut off passes and crosses, as well as being dominant in the tackle. He has excellent closing speed which puts forwards under pressure alongside impressive agility, which he uses to open his hips and shift his body into an optimal position to block shots and crosses. Lelieveld is decent with both feet and often arrives in the half-spaces just outside the box when RKC Waalwijk launch attacks too. A really solid, well-rounded player with a high floor that makes me believe he can slot straight in at Championship level.
Lelieveld has been defensively quite solid and he is considered in the top 15% of Eredivisie right-backs for tackles, tackles won, duels won & aerial duels won — an extremely impressive statistical season. Furthermore, Lelieveld has excellent creative numbers with 45 chances created (top 7% in Eredivisie), 23 successful crosses (top 11% in Eredivisie) and 4.73 expected assists — xA (top 6% in Eredivisie). Lelieveld has bounced around several teams in the Netherlands, amassing 85 appearances in the Eredivisie and 2 appearances in the Europa League, he could bring some much needed experience at right-back to W12.
With his contract expiring in the summer of 2025, he could be a relatively cheap acquisition and his wages are unlikely to be extortionate due to player for a lesser team in the Eredivisie. With RKC Waalwijk currently in 16th position & battling relegation, there is a chance that he would be looking to take a step up & test himself elsewhere. I think Lelieveld can provide some solidity for Cifuentes’ defense first approach but at the age of 26 there’s probably limited sell-on value for QPR — although he could still be a worthwhile acquisition.
Ethan Galbraith — Leyton Orient
Recently, Galbraith has spent time at right-back and it’s been a fantastic change to Orient’s team; giving him more opportunities to be on the ball and play progressive passes to his midfielders. He reads the game superbly and can anticipate opposition passes and movements in a way that really stands out at League One level. A threatening ball carrier and hard worker, Galbraith is a really exciting player to watch — often inverting into midfield when Leyton Orient attack.
His experience in the centre of midfield shines through on tape and his passing statistics highlight this — especially his successful long ball numbers (92 total @ 34.3% success rate) and 36.5% crossing accuracy, placing him in the top 4% of players in League One in this statistic. Galbraith also stands out in some of his defensive statistics, placing in the top 15% of players in League One for interceptions, recoveries and blocks. A spectacular combination of attacking quality and defensive astuteness, he’s a very talented player that could be a versatile asset at Loftus Road.
His well-rounded skillset would provide something we don’t already have with Dunne & Cannon (who’s strengths still remain a bit of a mystery to some). Entering in to the final year of his contract this summer, Galbraith could be a smart, relatively cheap addition that provides the flexibility to invert into midfield — something that Cifuentes may aim for if he can bring in a player of such profile. A key player for Orient at just 23 years old, it won’t be a walkover in negotiations if we were to pursue him.
Lewis Miller — Hibernian
Miller has great awareness defensively, constantly scanning for information about oncoming attackers as well as ensuring his positioning is optimal relative to his teammates. He has shown good quality when taking defenders on 1v1 and is a decent crosser. Miller is strong in the air and physically strong too — enabling him to use his 6'2" frame to protect the ball & muscle attackers off it. A well-rounded RB with 4 international caps for Australia, a move south of the border may be a smart one for him to progress his career and cement himself as a mainstay in the Australia squad aged just 23.
Miller’s physical traits shine through in his stats, with 1.81 tackles won per 90 minutes, a real indication of his great timing and understanding of when to engage in duels. His height & aerial dominance is illustrated by his 67.4% aerial duel success rate, which is 5% higher than Dunne & 21% higher than Cannon from this season. What Miller has in the physical department he perhaps lacks in his dribbling — however, he offers a physical profile more similar to Jimmy Dunne if that’s how Cifuentes wishes to persist.
Miller is a player that looks like he’d be a valuable player at the Championship level straight away. An opportunity for Miller to move to London could make QPR an attractive option, as well as providing him with a likely pay rise. His contract currently runs until the summer of 2025, with a club option for a further year, meaning that it may require some strong negotiation from QPR to secure his services for a reasonable price. He could be a really astute piece of business and seems like a player that has the tools to progress significantly as he begins to hit his mid 20’s.
Statistical Comparisons — QPR’s Right-Backs
When assessing full-backs, there are a plethora of attributes, and therefore statistics, to be considered. The first thing we need to look at is the current right-backs that QPR have used this season: Dunne appearing there 11 times, Cannon has 19 appearances and Kakay for a total of 13 appearances.
As shown above, the amount of tackles won per 90 minutes is led by Reggie Cannon as well as interceptions per 90 minutes — a surprise to me as I thought Dunne had been exceptional in those 2 areas. Astoundingly, Kakay has been the most successful dribbler of the 3, producing just over 1 successful dribble per 90. Dunne wins 62.1% of his aerial duels, putting him in the top 10% of CB’s in the Championship*, according to fotmob.com. To have all 3 RBs being accurate on less than 20% of their crosses this year is a massive reason why we need to add a full-back with quality delivery into the box to our squad. Also, worth noting that all 3 have collectively produced just 2 goals involvements this season — both from Jimmy Dunne, both occurring in the past 5 games. Must improve.
*I was unable to find comparisons between Dunne & other RBs in the Championship but i’d imagine it would show Dunne in glowing terms for aerial duels.
Statistical Comparisons — All Suggested Right-Backs
Admittedly, this looks messy at first sight, but let me break it down for you.
Interceptions per 90 minutes are dominated by Lewis Miller — averaging almost 2 interceptions per 90 is ridiculous. Reggie Cannon is surpisingly in 2nd place for this statistic, with Galbraith and Lelieveld’s quality in positioning and defensive awareness underpinning their solid interception stats.
Remarkably, Galbraith and Sorensen lead in the blocks per 90 stat. Neither of them have extensive history of playing RB so perhaps their time in midfield and at wing-back is attributing to more diving blocks to stop shots and crosses. Kakay, Cannon & Lelieveld have the fewest blocks per 90, which perhaps highlights a poor effort to put their body on the line or their desire to keep width when defending.
Lelieveld & Miller are monsters in the tackle, with over 1.8 tackles won per 90 for both players — massively outperforming what QPR’s trio could muster. Also, Lelieveld is extremelly decisive in the tackle, with a 73.7% win rate. Galbraith and Sorensen are both fairly low down when it comes to tackle success rate, which makes sense with their lack of phsyical presence relative to players like Miller, Dunne & Lelieveld.
Dribbled past per 90 is an interesting statistic, with a lower number indicating a quality defender & inferring that they’re player who is stronger in the tackle and better in 1v1 scenarios. Jimmy Dunne leads in this statistic, being dribbled past once in every 4 games! Strikingly, Kakay & Cannon follow Dunne in having strong numbers in this area too. Liam Bennett & Sorensen both have fairly low statistics for being dribbled past, which makes them particularly attractive options.
As highlighted before, Cannon, Kakay & Dunne have a poor crossing accuracy% — especially compared with Galbraith (36.5%) and Lelieveld (30.3%) who lead the way. With Bennett being the youngest and perhaps the least experienced of all these players, it’s no surprise to see his crossing accuracy% near the bottom; albeit better than Dunne, Kakay & Cannon. Miller & Bennett are the standouts when it comes to both successfully dribbling often and successfully crossing often, elevating their status in this group. Also, Lelieveld has a very low successful dribble per 90 stat which is concerning as this may indicate that he struggles to beat his man.
When it comes to chances created, QPR are so reliant on the left-hand side of the pitch it’s incredible. Chair leads QPR with 76 and Paal is in 2nd place with 57 and then Willock takes bronze with 26. 133 chances created between Paal & Chair compared to 126 between Dykes, Armstrong, Willock, Andersen, Field, Colback & Smyth. Massive, massive emphasis needed on creating chances next season and luckily, these RB options are all pretty creative. Sorensen & Lelieveld are both storming ahead with 45 & 46 chances created respectively, with Galbraith & Bennett both producing a strong number of chances for their teammates.
Summary & Conclusions
With a glaring need to upgrade at right-back for the 24/25 season, there are several different profiles of player that QPR could target. They could do a lot worse than some of the creative, young players i’ve suggested here — with Lelieveld & Galbraith being statistical standouts and Bennett & Sorensen producing eye-catching performances too. While Miller doesn’t stand out too much statistically, he has international experience and is a physically dominant player that could be an intriguing option. There will be changes in the defensive unit next season and I’m excited to see what changes Cifuentes, Calm & Nourry choose to make.
There were many other players that were considered but ultimately not selected for this article:
- Jadel Katongo — Peterborough (on loan from Man City)
- Isaac Ogundere — AFC Wimbledon
- Thijmen Goppel —SV Wehen Wiesbaden
- Nathan Ferguson — Crystal Palace
- Danny McNamara — Millwall
- Valgeir Lunddal Fridriksson — FC Häcken
- Thibaut Vargas — Stade Lavallois
- Siebe Horemans — Excelsior
- Tom Hamer — Burton Albion
I hope you’ve enjoyed this recruitement focus article and if you have any other suggestions for signing a RB this summer — feel free to comment. Likewise, if you’ve got any feedback, it would be much appreciated!
Thanks, Greg
