Queens Park Rangers are expected to appoint Michael Beale as their new manager ahead of the 22/23 season.

The highly-rated coach is currently part of Aston Villa's setup with Steven Gerrard, having also worked with the Liverpool legend at Rangers, where they won the title.

However, he is now set to take his first step in management, with the R's hierarchy having identified Beale as the man to succeed Mark Warburton.

It will be a big task ahead for the rookie boss, and he will want to put his own mark on the squad in the transfer window.

And, here we look at THREE transfer priorities that he should have...

Know which players are going to leave

As is the case with most Championship clubs, the Londoners will be vulnerable to losing key men if some serious offers arrive.

The likes of Seny Dieng, Rob Dickie and Ilias Chair are just some of the players who have been linked with moves away in the past, so Beale needs to know what the situation is to ensure he can plan properly and have a rough idea of what sort of funds are available.

Bring in at least one striker

With Charlie Austin and Andre Gray having left the club, the main priority for Beale is going to be to find a striker.

Of course, bringing in a reliable scorer is the hardest thing to do, so it isn't going to be easy but it's a position they are desperately short in.

You can imagine that Beale will already be drawing up a list of options in mind and he will need to act swiftly to get ahead of rivals in the market.

Sign a centre-back

Another area that the R's will need to improve is in defence.

There had been a hope that Dion Sanderson would be a major upgrade at the back in January but the loan move didn't really go to plan.

So, it still remains an area that needs addressing and finding a top quality centre-back to partner Dickie will surely be the aim for Beale.