QPR raid club owned by Zlatan Ibrahimovic for new boss after Neil Warnock talks

31 October 2023 , 09:18

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Marti Cifuentes is the new man in charge at Loftus Road

QPR have named Marti Cifuentes as their new head coach after securing his services from Hammarby.

He comes in to replace Gareth Ainsworth, who was shown the door on Saturday after a sixth straight loss left the west London club 23rd in the Championship. Cifuentes had been in charge of the Swedish outfit for two years with the club, part-owned by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, allowing him to move to England.

The 41-year-old was on QPR's radar last summer before they eventually hired Michael Beale, who left several months later to take charge at Scottish side Rangers. Cifuentes has now got the nod and will begin his reign against Rotherham at the weekend.

The club's chief executive Lee Hoos said on the appointment: “We are delighted to bring Martí in and I would firstly like to thank Hammarby for being fantastic to deal with throughout the process.

“Martí is an exciting appointment and we look forward to seeing the impact he can have. Having a succession plan in place is a necessary part of football, irrespective of how the team are performing. Martí is someone we have been aware of so we are really pleased to have been able to secure his services.”

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QPR had considered bringing Neil Warnock back to Loftus Road. The veteran manager, who left Huddersfield earlier this season, has previously guided the club to the Premier League and Sky Sports reported that the Championship strugglers were set to approach the 74-year-old.

Neil Warnock had been linked with the vacancy (Getty Images)

His first stint at Loftus Road lasted for two years, ending in 2012 and he then returned in an advisory role in 2015 before taking over as a caretaker boss for one month. A deal never materialised however and Warnock remains out of work but has maintained he will not be retiring. Former Southampton boss Nathan Jones was also keen on the position.

Cifuentes though got the nod after almost a decade in management which has seen him work in the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

QPR have lost seven of their last nine games and are without a win since September 2. They have not played in the third tier of English football for almost 20 years and want to avoid dropping down to League One. Last term they finished 20th, just six points above the drop.

Samuel Meade