“Come under a lot of unnecessary stick” – Prediction issued on QPR striker Zan Celar

Zan Celar has yet to score in seven starts for Queens Park Rangers since moving from FC Lugano, where he was especially prolific in the Swiss top-flight.

With QPR typically playing just one up-top, Micheal Frey has taken up the lion’s share of minutes as the lone scorer. However, new signing Celar will be desperate to make a mark despite struggling to find the net so far.

Nonetheless, it feels as though Cifuentes will hand that duty to Celar in the long-run, who has arrived at QPR this summer to plenty of anticipation after appearing at EURO 2024 for Slovenia and scoring 21 times across all competitions for Lugano in 23/24.

His success in recent years speaks for itself. Having played the past three seasons for the Swiss side, he has managed a staggering 51 goals in 118 games in all competitions.

The deal is apparently seen as something of a coup for the club, given the level of interest there was in the striker, both from at home and abroad, with Hull City one of the teams that were keen on bringing Celar to England.

QPR have lacked a prolific striker for quite some time now, and they will hope Celar can prove to be the answer, especially with the likes of Ilias Chair and Karamoko Dembele as the creative service behind him.

Despite that Frey has taken the starting job in the majority of recent games, leaving Celar to try and impress from the bench. He has come under fire after his seven-figure move to Loftus Road. Football League World’s resident QPR fan pundit Louis Moir has given his thoughts on Celar so far.

He said: “I think Celar has come under a lot of needless stick from some of our fans.

“You have got to remember that he’s come in for a price that means people are probably expecting more, but it is his first time in England and it’s going to take time to adapt.

“I don’t think anyone would have expected Michael Frey to be in the form that he’s been showing so far. If that wasn’t the case, then Celar would probably be starting every week.

“At this point in time, he doesn’t deserve to be with the form that Frey is in.

“Celar, in that Plymouth game where we drew 1-1, he should probably have scored one or two at least.

“But when he has a chance, he has shown that his positioning and hold up play is good. You can tell he’s a good player.

“He obviously just needs that first goal to go in for him, but I am not too worried.

“He’s not even starting games at the time, so that, obviously, is more difficult for him to get that first goal.

“I’m sure that, when he does, that he’ll be capable of scoring plenty of goals at this level. His record speaks for itself in Switzerland.

“At the end of the day, that is still a good level. He is an actual goalscorer and I have been pleased with parts of his game where you can tell he is a good player, and players just need time to adapt.

“Like I say, ones that come from a different place especially. You look back at when we signed Charlie Austin for the first time and it took him about eight or so league games to get his first goal.

“Look, it takes time. He’s a good player and I am sure he will be getting goals sooner rather than later.”

Following Sinclair Armstrong’s Bristol City transfer, and Lyndon Dykes’ exit to Birmingham City, QPR are in need of Frey or Celar to make the number-nine spot their own.

Quite often, it can be difficult for players from abroad to make a fast start to life in the Championship with the physicality and energy of the division compared to some European leagues catching some players off-guard.

However, Celar’s pedigree is tough to ignore. As a reward for his fine domestic performance last year, he was called up to the Slovenia team for the current European Championships, where he was a contributor from the bench.

That included a nine-minute appearance against England, too. He’ll definitely be looking for a bright start to cement his position as the Hoops’ leading marksman this season, but the goals will come in time, as Louis alludes to.

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