Queens Park Rangers bought Luke Freeman from Bristol City in January 2017, and during the next two and a half years at Loftus Road, the attacking midfielder would leave a legacy that would make him one of the Hoops’ best buys in recent years.
Rangers paid under £300,000 to bring Freeman to West London, adding a versatile forward to Ian Holloway’s attacking squad.
Freeman had established himself to be a great League One player with Bristol City and Stevenage before joining QPR, but he was still a bit of an unknown commodity in the Championship, having only played one full season in the second tier.
He soon dispelled any questions about his ability to play in the Championship, and went on to become an important member of the R’s side over the next several seasons, firmly establishing himself as one of the finest attacking players in the division at the time.
It’s the type of move that current Hoops manager Marti Cifuentes would undoubtedly want to replicate in the January 2025 transfer window, as he attempts to steer QPR out of relegation trouble.
Ian Holloway understood what he was getting with Luke Freeman.
Managers frequently make grandiose forecasts about what their new signing can accomplish for their club. Some of them come true, while others get notoriety for the wrong reasons.
However, when Holloway spoke about Freeman in January 2017, the QPR manager knew exactly what his new signing would bring to the club.
After Freeman’s signing was confirmed, Holloway told the club website via The Standard: “I’ve been a long-time admirer of Luke’s.” I’ve seen a lot of him as he’s progressed at Bristol City, so I’m delighted he’s joined us now.
“His imagination is something I think we’ll really feel the advantages of. He’s got a wand of
A left foot. He can also play three or four different positions, which is quite advantageous to us.I believe he is a leader on the pitch as well since he is always looking for the ball, and I believe QPR fans would admire him for it because he will proudly wear the Hooped shirt.
“He meets all of my criteria for what I’m looking for. “He’ll give QPR everything.”
Luke Freeman would become a Premier League-quality player at QPR. Holloway was correct in his forecast about Freeman’s QPR career, as he shone in a variety of situations and contributed some fantastic goals, assists, and moments of inventiveness throughout his time at Loftus Road.
During the second part of the 2016/17 season, he demonstrated his potential on multiple times, scoring two goals and providing four assists in his first 16 games for QPR.
However, it was his first full season with Rangers that saw him go from a signing who Hoops fans could see why he was brought to the club to a player who made them wonder how their team would ever cope without him. Throughout the 2017/18 season, Freeman was the driving force behind Holloway’s squad. He had a strong attacking partnership with massive centre-forward Matt Smith (who scored 11 and contributed nine assists that season), as well as making brilliant midfield connections with the likes of Massimo Luongo,
Ebere Eze and Ilias Chair are up-and-coming stars.
He’d build on his five goals and 12 assists from 2017/18 with another excellent season in 2018/19, scoring eight goals and contributing eight assists in 48 games across all competitions. Despite this, the Hoops finished 19th in the Championship that year, prompting Freeman’s form to attract the interest of several clubs, including Sheffield United.
The Blades paid a club-record sum of £5 million to bring Freeman to Bramall Lane. As upsetting as it was for QPR to lose such an important player, the profit they earned on him solidified his position as one of the club’s best.
bits of business in recent times.
Marti Cifuentes will undoubtedly be looking for a Freeman-like bargain for QPR in January. Cifuentes’ QPR are in desperate need of creativity and goals this season, as the feel-good aspect that accompanied the upturn in form upon the Spaniard’s arrival last season has swiftly faded.
Nicolas Madsen was brought in to provide the creative node that Freeman so effectively provided at Loftus Road, but the Dane has yet to find a teammate with whom he can form a goalscoring connection.
QPR will undoubtedly be looking for attacking additions in January, and a repetition of a Freeman-esque deal could help them get out of their current predicament.
With financial concerns limiting Loftus Road’s purchasing power in recent windows, as well as questions over whether Cifuentes is the right man for the position, transfer money may be limited again in the new year, making finding some bargains crucial.
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