Queens Park Rangers centre-back Rob Dickie has expressed his desire to play in the Premier League and thinks he's ready for the challenge of playing in the top tier, speaking to Not The Top 20 Podcast.
These comments from the 25-year-old in yesterday's episode come amid reported interest from Premier League sides Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are both monitoring his situation at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium and could make a move before the end of the month.
Steve Bruce's Newcastle United also expressed their interest in the centre-back back in May and are still said to be considering a move after seeing him score in each of the R's three competitive games so far this season.
However, it's his defensive capabilities at the back that have attracted widespread interest from the top flight after he made the move to the Championship from third-tier Oxford United last September, signing a four-year deal in west London for an undisclosed fee and proving to be a key asset to Mark Warburton's men.
He graduated from second-tier side Reading's academy before making the short move to Oxford United - and although he was tipped to be a talented youngster in Berkshire despite not being able to get past the likes of Liam Moore, Tiago Ilori and others in the pecking order - his rapid rise has come as a surprise to many.
And despite already making the move up a tier less than 12 months ago, Dickie believes he's ready to compete in the top flight and said to Not The Top 20 Podcast: "I've always been really ambitious.
"You speak to anyone that’s close to me or knows me, I’ve always had ambitions of playing at the top level.
"I’ve grown up, since I can remember, watching Championship football and Premier League football.
"To have played in the Championship I’m proud of, now to make that next step to the Premier League, which I believe I can do, I’m ambitious, I want to play in the Premier League.
"It would mean the world to me to go there, whether that's with QPR or what it be.
"Right now I’m a QPR player and I’m enjoying my time with QPR. We’ll see what the future holds."
The Verdict:
The last point he made about QPR is an important one and just shows how professional he is amid all the interest.
That part of his personality shines through throughout the whole podcast and Mark Warburton is lucky to have someone like Dickie who's in this mindset, despite Premier League clubs monitoring his situation.
However, the centre-back is also a realist and like many players, he obviously wants to aim for Premier League football in the future after taking the step down to League One before working his way back up.
This move to Oxford United in 2018 proved to be an important step in his career and if he can continue performing well at the back at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, it will only be a matter of time before a top-flight club snaps him up.
Although his defensive contribution is more important, the fact he's proving to be a threat in both boxes will only drive up his price tag and QPR will be able to hold out for a decent fee because of that and the fact he still has three years left on his current deal.
The decision to offer him a four-year contract last September was a smart one - and it could pay dividends financially if they cash in on him in the next year or so.