Queens Park Rangers could appoint Neil Critchley as the man to replace Michael Beale and the former Blackpool boss could be the ideal man to get the best out of Tim Iroegbunam at Loftus Road.
After Beale’s decision to join Rangers was confirmed earlier this week, the Hoops have been linked with a number of potential managers as his replacement, with Critchley seemingly near the top of the list.
Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas revealed on Twitter that the “fantastic” former Liverpool academy coach was high up on the list of candidates for QPR.
He said: “Neil Critchley high on list of potential candidates to replace Rangers-bound Mick Beale at QPR. Critchley worked with him at Liverpool and then replaced him as Gerrard’s assistant at Aston Villa. QPR looking at others too of course.”
Critchley established himself working with Gerrard in Liverpool’s academy before taking over at Blackpool in 2021, leading the Tangerines to promotion from League One in his first season with the club.
After consolidating in the Championship in the last campaign, he made the bold decision to swap Bloomfield Road for Villa Park, becoming Gerrard’s assistant at Aston Villa, where he was sacked just a few months into the job, meaning he is now available without the concern of any compensation fee.
Having joined Villa in June, Critchley will have worked closely with one of the most highly-regarded talents at the Midlands club in Iroegbunam, ahead of his loan move to QPR a few months later.
Ahead of Beale arriving at Loftus Road, he would call the young midfielder “super-impressive,” so it is perhaps no surprise that he wanted to sign him for the Championship campaign.
During his time at Loftus Road, the 19-year-old has made 13 appearances in the Championship averaging a solid 6.67 rating from WhoScored for his performances, but he is yet to contribute a goal or an assist, which suggests that Hoops fans are yet to see the best of him.
Given that Critchley has made a name for himself at Liverpool and Crewe Alexandra for establishing talents such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Harry Wilson, he clearly knows how to get the best out of young players.
Therefore, he could be the ideal man to get the best out of the exciting Iroegbunam should he arrive at Loftus Road as Beale’s replacement.
