EFL pundit Ali Maxwell has suggested that Bright Osayi-Samuel’s contract situation is starting to have a negative impact on Queens Park Rangers’ form on the field ahead of the January transfer window.

Mark Warburton’s side suffered another frustrating result on Saturday losing 2-0 at home to promotion-chasing Swansea City. That leaves them eight matches without a win in the Championship and sat in 19^th place in the table just four points clear of trouble.

Their form over the last few weeks has seen reports emerge that they are considering potentially changing managers.

One notable absentee from the starting line-up against Swansea was Osayi-Samuel, who is yet to commit his future to the club and is entering the final few months of his existing contract.

The 22-year-old starred in their last league win against Rotherham United, but he has scored just two goals and registered three assists in 19 appearances this term so far.

Quiz: Did these 20 things happen to QPR in 2020?

Speaking on EFL on Quest, Maxwell suggested that Osayi-Samuel’s uncertain future is not helping Warburton’s side at all at the moment, and the fact he is not playing and is their main source of creation in the last third is undermining what they are trying to build.

He said: “Bright Osayi-Samuel’s contract is up at the end of the season and it means that as of January 1^st he can talk and agree terms with clubs from abroad, and it feels like that’s hanging over both Osayi-Samuel and in his position as really sort of their key attacking player at the whole club.

“Ilias Chair is doing his best and creating chances for the strikers and at the moment they are not taking them and it just feels like something that’s undermining the whole club and that’s not something we want to see.”

The verdict

This is a really challenging time for both QPR and Warburton and the pressure is starting to mount given the poor run of form they are in at the moment. In the situation they are in the Rs need to have everyone in their squad pulling in the same direction and fighting for every point available to them, and that is not helped by Osayi-Samuel’s situation.

The dynamic attacker is capable of producing things out of nothing and can be a real talisman for QPR when he is on his game. However, he has not been delivering enough end product so far this season and that could well be down to all the uncertainty around his long-term future.

QPR might need to decide to cash in on him in January if they can do and if it is clear he wants to leave the club. That would at least enable them to bring in a player whose future will be at the Rs and try and find different ways of winning matches. If Osayi-Samuel’s situation is not resolved soon it could only continue their recent struggles.