Since their return to the Championship in 2015 following Premier League relegation, Queens Park Rangers have been the perennial mid-table team.

Finishes of 12th, 18th, 16th, 19th and 13th have left fans underwhelmed and it seems like a long time ago now that top tier football was played at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

The R's showed promise last season to finish 13th, and that was mainly down to the creativity and flair of Ebere Eze in attack.

It was inevitable that he would depart this summer however, and he secured himself a £20 million move to Crystal Palace, leaving a big number 10-shaped hole in the side.

Over £5 million of that fee was re-invested into the first team, who currently sit in 16th place but not that far behind the play off spots.

There's a few things that manager Mark Warburton needs to avoid doing in January though - let's see what they are.

To cash in on Bright Osayi-Samuel

Osayi-Samuel became QPR's most valuable asset following Eze's departure, and he's continued his stellar performances this season.

The Nigerian hasn't signed a new deal with the club and speculation remains rife that the likes of Celtic are interested in him when January comes along.

The winger rejected a £5 million move to Belgian side Club Brugge recently, and he may simply be riding his contract out, which may be good for QPR on the pitch as they'd keep him for the season, but if he does leave they wouldn't receive a penny for him.

To not bring in some defensive reinforcements

Warburton doesn't have the biggest of squads to choose from, and at present only has three centre back options in Rob Dickie, Yoann Barbet and Conor Masterson.

The R's could do with using the loan market to bring in some competition to the trio in January, especially if one of them go down with an injury, which is entirely possible considering the stretch of games coming up.

To resist interest in Rob Dickie

Speaking of defenders, Dickie has impressed massively since joining from Oxford, and put in a man of the match performance live on Sky Sports against Derby County earlier in the month.

Dickie is a comfortable ball-player and will occasionally carry it up the field to create attacks for the side, which means that the 24-year-old will no doubt be attracting interest.

But after receiving £20 million for Eze a few months ago, QPR may not feel the need to field offers for their top players - Dickie being one of them.