Queens Park Rangers re-sign fan favourite Charlie Austin

Queens Park Rangers have re-signed former fan favourite Charlie Austin in hope of being able to turn around their season.

Familiar figure Austin has today signed for Queens Park Rangers on loan until the end of the season from West Bromwich Albion. The ex-England international will be looking to keep his former and current club away from the relegation zone, as they currently sit just two points ahead of the bottom three. It is thought that Austin was in attendance of today’s game against Fulham in their third-round FA Cup tie.

The London-based club have been struggling in front of goal all season as Lyndon Dykes and Macaulay Bonne have failed to hit the ground running after joining QPR this summer. Mark Warburton made it clear going into January that he would be looking to add an experienced striker to his team’s frontline, many names were linked with a potential move but Charlie Austin became their evident first-choice.

Various other options such as Glenn Murray and Jordan Rhodes were looked at but Austin was always the priority given his history at the club as well as his proven goal record. This short-term signing will enable R’s youngster Charlie Kelman to secure a loan in League One in the bid to gain more first team experience and enhance his development at QPR.

Delighted to be back @qpr just an opportunity I couldn’t turn down, looking forward to getting to work with the lads and the management staff #homeiswheretheheartis #45 ? ? pic.twitter.com/Zh4eGf7NSg

— Charlie Austin (@chazaustin10) January 9, 2021

It is thought that the Baggies were keen to offload Austin, who was not in Sam Allardyce’s plans, to pursue a new forward in the window. Several names have been linked with a move to The Hawthorns, most recently free agent Oumar Niasse, who has worked with ‘Big Sam’ before at Everton.

31-year-old Austin has already had a previous tenure at the club from 2013-2016 where he established himself as a fan favourite and went on to gain promotion to the Premier League under Harry Redknapp.

Austin was very successful at Loftus Road, in just 89 appearances he was able to net 48 times for the blue and white hoops in both the Premier League and Championship. His rich vein of form attracted interest from other Premier League clubs when QPR got relegated, Southampton came sniffing and found themselves a bargain picking up the international for only four million.

After his move to St Mary’s, Austin instantly hit the ground running in the team as he netted the winner on his debut in a 1-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Sadly for the Englishman, his time at Saints slowly petered out and ended on a sour note as Austin was forced to train with the U23’s after being thrown out of the first team surroundings.

Austin moved to West Brom on 13 August 2019 looking to reignite his career. He has since made 39 appearances for the club and was a huge part of their runners up campaign in the Sky Bet Championship last season as he netted 10 times in just 18 starts for Albion.

It is clear that Austin still has a lot to give to the game and will be a valuable addition to Mark Warburton’s side. The team currently lack goals and Austin is a potent finisher that always has an eye for goal. Not only for QPR but Austin will also relish returning to the club where his career really kicked off, he has a lot of weight on his shoulders as Rangers find themselves in a relegation scrap but his experience and know-how should help steer the club away from the drop.

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