This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more
Queens Park Rangers have added to their wing-back ranks with the acquisition of Norwich City's Sam McCallum on a season-long loan deal, as club confirmed by the club.
The 20-year-old joined the Canaries from Coventry City in January 2020, but he was loaned back to the Sky Blues and stayed there until the end of the 2020-21 season.
Having amassed 41 Championship appearances last season, McCallum is set to switch to the Hoops and not return to Coventry again as Mark Warburton looks to bring in fresh competition for the experienced Lee Wallace, having failed in a bid for Fortuna Sittard's George Cox.
Is McCallum a good signing for the R's though? We asked the FLW team for their thoughts.
Sam Rourke
I'm a fan of this.
McCallum was a consistent figure for Coventry City last season and has been heavily involved with the Sky Blues over the last few seasons.
He frequently performs to a good standard and is adept in both a defensive and an attacking sense, something that most clubs want to see from their full-backs.
McCallum is still only 20 so this is a great opportunity to continue his development in the game, whilst for QPR if provides a nice alternative to Niko Hamalainen and Lee Wallace, the former arguably still showing raw tendencies whilst Wallace's lack of pace can sometimes affect the R's defensively.
McCallum is an athletic full-back who often utilises his pace to get into positive positions, and I just cannot see too many drawbacks to this deal for all parties involved.
Adam Jones
I tell you what, Mark Warburton is really levelling up his defence this summer.
With Jordy De Wijs already coming in, goalkeeper Jordan Archer joining, Jimmy Dunne undergoing a medical and Moses Odubajo training with the club, they could field a whole back five of new signings if the latter puts pen to paper on a deal and they secure this deal for McCallum.
One thing that should get QPR fans excited straight away is the fact the left-back excelled in a Coventry City side that surpassed all expectations to reach 16th in the table.
Queens Park Rangers also had a good season and with McCallum, they are more likely to take this momentum into next year.
One of the best things about this deal is the fact Norwich are most likely willing to let the 20-year-old leave on loan and therefore, any loan fee for him should be reasonably low.
The Canaries may even be prepared to take on the bulk of his wages now they're in the Premier League and with that, are in a better position financially.
With an ageing Lee Wallace at left-back and Niko Hamalainen who has often played higher up, it would be good to see him come to west London.
It's a good signing and one that can only help to raise the team's performance levels.
George Harbey
I think this is a top signing for QPR to be honest.
McCallum has had a remarkable couple of years as a professional footballer, and spending the last two seasons away on loan has been beneficial for him.
Norwich’s promotion means that first-team football may not be too regular for him, but a move to QPR is a great one as they will be looking to kick on after finishing 9th last term.
He’d fit right into Mark Warburton’s wing-back system, too, as he has the capability to get forward with real athleticism and attack the channels.
Warburton gets the best out of young players, and this would be another excellent step for him as he looks to become a Premier League player with or without Norwich.