Former QPR striker Kevin Gallen believes a striker and a left wing-back should be at the top of his old side's transfer agenda in January in their quest to secure a top-six spot, speaking on West London Sport's YouTube channel.

The R's fast start to the 2021/22 campaign, building on their bright second half of last term, gave them the platform to solidify their place in the top six.

And although they haven't quite managed to secure their status as a play-off side for the remainder of the season despite moving into third temporarily after beating Derby County late last month, capitalising on West Brom's previous poor run of form, they are still in fifth place with a game in hand over those around them going into this weekend's round of Championship fixtures.

Unfortunately, the R's won't be in action until the 27th December at the earliest with several Covid cases in their first-team squad - but won't fall out of the play-off zone with seventh place taking on sixth as Coventry City host Stoke City this weekend.

This will give Mark Warburton's men two games in hand to cement their place in the play-off zone - but a couple of additions may also be needed if they want to give themselves the best possible chance of remaining in the promotion mix for the rest of the season.

Ex-R's striker Gallen has recommended a striker and competition for Lee Wallace at left wing-back as two areas they need to target as he spoke on West London Sport's YouTube channel.

He said: "I'm going down the Neil Warnock way of thinking, you can never have enough strikers in your squad.

"But also, it's always good to have a look on your bench and you want to make a change or you're losing or you need a goal, it's always good to have the option of having some strikers on the bench (1:02).

"Lee Wallace seems to me that he can't let that many games. He comes in, he plays really well, picks up a muscle injury and he's out for two months, comes back, plays really well and that's sort of been the story of his QPR career.

"So, a left-footed, specialist wing-back could be a priority for the manager, because when Lee Wallace does play in that position, you can see the difference of having a specialist left wing-back in that position and it makes a big difference to the team (3:01).

The Verdict:

Bringing in another striker could be ideal, especially if Warburton wants to play two up top for much of the season which is perfectly plausible with the 3-4-1-2 system they have operated in before, but a loan deal could be the best option at this stage.

Although Andre Gray is a loanee as well, the R's will be left with a permanent potential permanent addition, Charlie Austin, Lyndon Dykes and Macauley Bonne in the summer, leaving the latter in the same situation he was in when he left the club temporarily for Ipswich Town.

But after starting his 2020/21 campaign so well with the Tractor Boys despite his own loan club's shortcomings, he arguably deserves to be given a second chance at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

In terms of finances, they will also want to retain some of their key assets, so they may not be able to splash out on a marquee signing in the forward area if they want to stay within the EFL's financial boundaries. A loan addition would be wise, therefore.

And Gallen is right to point out the left wing-back area as a point to address. Although Wallace and Sam McCallum are two good options to have there, their injury worries have been a real source of frustration and this is why they need to look closely at this area going into next month.