Premier League side Aston Villa are keen to see Tim Iroegbunam continue to play regularly at Queens Park Rangers after seeing him become one of the first names on the teamsheet at Loftus Road, according to Birmingham Live.

The 19-year-old arrived in the summer when Michael Beale was in charge, with the 42-year-old using his relationship with former Villa boss Steven Gerrard to lure the England youth international away from the West Midlands for the 2022/23 campaign.

But with Gerrard departing Villa and Beale leaving QPR to link up with Rangers, the midfielder's future looks uncertain with Unai Emery potentially wanting to see the midfielder up close.

 

 

He has been a regular starter since his arrival at Loftus Road though, recording 14 competitive appearances and progressing well in West London despite making a couple of notable errors.

However, QPR are yet to appoint their new manager and with this, it remains to be seen whether the teenager will be a big part of their plans following the World Cup break, with the midfielder likely to be reluctant to sit on the bench after enjoying a decent amount of game time under Beale.

He could potentially find himself back at Villa if one of his parent club's midfielders sustains an injury though, as per Birmingham Live.

The Verdict:

QPR will surely be hoping to keep him beyond the January window considering he's probably a reasonably cheap addition at Loftus Road, with Villa potentially paying a chunk of his wages on the condition he wins a decent amount of game time in the capital.

The second-tier side are unlikely to have a huge transfer budget for the next window and that's why they could probably do without Iroegbunam being recalled with other areas potentially needing to be focused on.

If the new manager wants to switch to a back three, they will probably need to bring in at least one new central defender because they don't have a huge number of options there at this stage.

They may also benefit from bringing in one or two strikers because Lyndon Dykes doesn't have a huge amount of competition for a starting spot at the moment and that won't help to maximise his performance levels.

These additions could be the difference between a top-six finish and another finish outside of the play-offs - and they may not be able to make one or two of these vital signings if the Aston Villa man returns to the Midlands.