Southampton FC should raid QPR for clinical attacker upon EFL return | OneFootball

Southampton FC should consider making Queens Park Rangers attacker Charlie Kelman a key target upon their return to the EFL

As Southampton prepare for life in the Championship after a disastrous Premier League campaign, their search for a clinical striker rages on. Queens Park Rangers have a player who could be the perfect fit for the south coast side in the form of Charlie Kelman.

With Saints’ top scorer, Paul Onoachu, being perpetually linked with a move back to Turkish club Trabzonspor, as reported in Africa Foot, the St Mary’s outfit have little to offer in the way of firepower.

Southampton FC attackers failed to make an impression at the top level

Cameron Archer and Ross Stewart have both failed to make an impression in the top division and Adam Armstrong was farmed out on loan to West Bromwich Albion in January in response to his poor form.

Disappointingly, Archer managed just two goals in 33 Premier League appearances, albeit most of his appearances came from off the bench. A penalty miss against Manchester United at St Mary’s with the score at 0-0 seemed to visibly drain him of all confidence.

Stewart, a 2023 summer signing from Sunderland, has been blighted by injury ever since. As a result, he made just 10 Premier League appearances this season - without scoring.

Sending last season’s captain and play-off hero Armstrong out on loan to West Brom only served to accelerate his decline in form and confidence. Armstrong managed just two goals in 12 starts for the Baggies, adding one more after coming off the bench at Derby County. On this evidence, it could be an error of judgment to expect the 28-year-old Geordie to repeat the 21 goals and 13 assists he managed for the Saints during the 23/24 promotion campaign.

Charlie Kelman is a player in form

To make a sustained promotion push next season, Southampton will need to add at least one prolific attacker. And, with 23 goals to his name this season and the 2024/25 League One Golden Boot award already sitting proudly on his mantelpiece, Charlie Kelman is the man in form.

Kelman is currently on loan at League One Leyton Orient from the Championship club, Queens Park Rangers, and his 23 goals have inspired The O’s to their highest finish in 11 years. Having spent six years living in the USA, Kelman is an American citizen, despite being born in Basildon, England.

His brace in the first leg of the League One play-off semi-final against Stockport County on Saturday earned his adopted side a 2-2 draw and a lifeline in the tie which they won on penalties at Edgeley Park last night. Leyton Orient will go head-to-head with the winners of the second semi-final, Charlton Athletic or Wycombe Wanderers, at Wembley on 25th May for the right to play in the Championship next season. Should Leyton Orient prevail, they may consider making a move to sign Kelman on a permanent deal themselves.

Kelman registered an astonishing 61-goal season

At Southend, Kelman registered an astonishing 61 goals at youth level in the 2017/18 season and attracted the attention of Brighton, Bournemouth and West Ham, according to HITC Sport.

However, the step-up to the under-23s and beyond has seen Kelman’s development stutter a little and the big move never really came. Queens Park Rangers took a punt on him in 2020, signing him on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Since then, the young striker has spent time out on loan at Gillingham, Leyton Orient, and Wigan Athletic. Only now, in his second spell at Leyton Orient, is he beginning to fulfill the promise that he showed at youth level.

Playing with a swagger that could make him an instant fans' favourite at St Mary’s, Kelman is proving deadly inside the box. 18 of his 21 goals have come from inside the penalty area, and he has hit the target 44% of the time.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports’ Jobi McAnuff, O’s stalwart defender Omar Beckles described Kelman as "a grafter". Also adding: "He works really hard in training, other than being a wind-up merchant around the building."

What Charlie Kelman would bring to Southampton FC

Southampton fans have missed having an out-and-out goalscorer to get behind at St Mary’s since Danny Ings departed. With Armstrong able to play on the left side of a front three and Cameron Archer on the right side, Kelman might just be the man to play through the middle.

Having been deployed as a right-winger and as an attacking midfielder, Kelman could also offer the next Southampton manager a degree of attacking flexibility.

In addition to his finishing, Kelman's shooting from range is a potent weapon. He is a threat on the counter-attack and likes to cut inside. He holds the ball up pretty well and has plenty of strength with his back to goal. In defensive transition, Kelman does not dive in and give fouls away.

Although he scores his fair share of goals with his head, Kelman is not dominant in the air. Playing on the shoulder of the last man, he is prone to being caught offside more often than he perhaps should. This is ironic given the controversy surrounding his team's first goal against Stockport on Saturday.

A great deal will depend on whom the Saints appoint as the next manager. Player recruitment must surely be delayed until that decision has been made.

QPR may also be reluctant to let Kelman go easily. Kelman is in the midst of a purple patch and the Hoops might well be inclined to give him a run of games in the Championship themselves, having been so patient with him this far. Whatever the future holds for Kelman, both his reputation and his value are as high as they have ever been right now.

However, given his age and potential for further development, investing in Kelman could be a strategic move for Southampton as they aim to strengthen their squad for whoever is in the dugout next season.