QPR can have no transfer regrets on Coventry City star following recent comments: Opinion
Godden would have been an excellent asset at Loftus Road – but his recent interview suggests that he wouldn’t have moved away from the CBS Arena.
QPR missed out on signing Matt Godden, who could have been a valuable addition to their squad as a proven goalscorer at this level.
Godden’s height and physique may not have been ideal for QPR’s preferred style of play, but his ability to get in the right positions and be prolific would have been useful.
Coventry is currently a more appealing project than QPR, and Godden’s comments suggest he was committed to staying with the Sky Blues and being part of their journey.
Queens Park Rangers were interested in signing Coventry City striker Matt Godden in the summer, according to a report from Derbyshire Live.
This link came as no real surprise considering the player was about to enter the final year of his contract at the Coventry Building Society Arena and with that, the R’s probably saw a potential opportunity to recruit the forward on a reasonably cheap deal.
Gareth Ainsworth’s side were crying out for more strikers throughout the summer and although they recruited Paul Smyth and Taylor Richards, who can contribute in the final third, they didn’t bring in the striker or two that were desperately needed.
| Queens Park Rangers – 2023/24 Signings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
| Asmir Begovic | Everton | Permanent |
| Morgan Fox | Stoke City | Permanent |
| Jack Colback | Nottingham Forest | Permanent |
| Paul Smyth | Leyton Orient | Permanent |
| Ziyad Larkeche | Fulham | Permanent |
| Steve Cook | Nottingham Forest | Permanent |
| Taylor Richards | Brighton | Permanent |
They will now be consigned to utilising the free agent market until January and although there are some decent options out there, including Lyle Taylor, it may take some time for them to get up to match fitness.
Bringing in a striker just as the international break was about to start would have been ideal – but they have missed that window of opportunity with their next game coming up this weekend.
Ainsworth’s side haven’t made a terrible start to the campaign, all things considered, but depth is likely to separate those who will go on to secure a respectable finish and those who end up in a relegation battle.
An improvement on where they finished last season would probably be acceptable for QPR considering how poor they were during the latter stages of last season – but they may only be able to keep themselves afloat if they bring in another forward or two.
Would Matt Godden have made a good impact on QPR?
Considering his height and physique, Godden is probably best playing in a front two and that isn’t ideal for QPR who may prefer to play one up top at times.
But the 32-year-old is a proven goalscorer at this level and despite a disappointing afternoon on the opening day of the Sky Blues’ campaign against Leicester City, he has scored an impressive four goals in five competitive appearances so far this term.
Even against Leicester, he was getting himself in the right positions but just wasn’t able to find the net despite having a couple of golden opportunities at the King Power Stadium.
His ability to get himself in the right areas and be prolific would have been very useful at Loftus Road – and his experience will have been useful as well.
He would have also brought a winning mentality to the dressing room, something that’s much-needed considering how badly QPR declined last season.
Should QPR regret not signing Matt Godden?
At the moment, Coventry is a more appealing project than QPR considering the former seem to be on the up, even after losing their play-off final against Luton Town in May.
And with Godden already spending more than four years at the Coventry Building Society Arena, it came as no surprise when he put pen to paper on a deal last month to extend his stay until 2025.
The forward may have only had a year or so left on his deal for much of the campaign – but he has won a decent number of minutes this term and has seemingly always been a key part of Mark Robins’ plans despite the signings of Ellis Simms and Haji Wright.
With this in mind, it would have been difficult to have seen the Sky Blues selling Godden and they arguably needed him following Viktor Gyokeres’ departure.
And judging by Godden’s comments to Coventry Live, leaving never seemed to be an option he contemplated, saying: “I’m very settled. I love the place.
“The club has done a lot for me and I feel I have given it a lot as well. It’s part of me and has been an important part of my journey, so I am very happy to be here.
“The reason why I joined was to go on a journey and see how far we could get, and at the moment it is going very well and hopefully we can get to the top.”
With these comments in mind, it would have been hard to have seen him depart for Loftus Road during the summer, even when he hadn’t signed a new contract.
It’s just a shame that the R’s couldn’t get a deal over the line for another forward target.
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