Watford, Bournemouth, Brentford and Reading all vied for Ilias Chair’s services last winter. But the 23-year-old Antwerp academy student has responded with a contract extension at Queens Park Rangers until 2025, thus bringing the rumour mill to an abrupt halt. At least temporarily, because the attacking midfielder realises that after his best season so far, nothing is excluded in the summer transfer window.
If Chair had accepted interest from one of the above clubs last winter, he was at least already closer to his Premier League dream. After all, Watford are already assured of promotion to second place in the Championship, while Bournemouth and Brentford are still in the play-off hunt. QPR themselves finish mid-table with a goal difference of … zero. With fifty-four goals for and against, the west London club has been fairly productive offensively, but the defence has been too often shaky. The chairman sees things differently.
“Last season we had both the best attack and the worst defence,” he said before Saturday’s final game of the season against Luton Town. “So compared to that, we could do better in attack and we are taking steps forward in defence. But more importantly, it’s a season we have to learn from. We started badly and we’ve suffered the consequences all year. Judging by the results of the second leg, we would now be third in the table. So we’ve certainly made progress, but it hasn’t been enough in the end.”
An interesting summer
“Has my Premier League dream been postponed? On the contrary, it’s going to be a very interesting summer,” says Chair, without giving further details. “If it turns out I have to stay at QPR for another season, that’s not a problem either. The contract extension earlier this year offered me stability and is also a sign of confidence. For me, it’s a way of expressing my gratitude for the opportunities the club has given me. Financially, a transfer to QPR is even more attractive since his contract was extended.”
“But there is no point in forcing anything. I’ve had a good season with eight goals and three assists. In terms of the latter, I would have liked to have seen a bit more, but of course you depend on your team for that. It’s not a criticism, I’m the first to admit that I miss chances myself, but it’s a fact. It wasn’t perfect yet, but I’m going to work hard to get to a higher level.”
