5 likely QPR candidates to replace Marti Cifuentes, including Tottenham man and ex-Lyon boss

QPR will now be searching for a new manager with the Championship season over and done with. It’s not a position the Hoops were expecting to be in, but Marti Cifuentes’ time looks to be up despite him keeping the club up for back-to-back seasons.

Cifuentes fell out with QPR chief Christian Nourry after being linked with the West Brom job, and he now finds himself placed on leave and marked for exit. Nourry said of the decision “This is naturally a disappointing situation for everyone concerned. I fully understand and appreciate supporters’ frustrations at this time. As a club, we are working to ensure this matter is resolved as swiftly as possible so we can start preparations in earnest for the future.”

A number of bosses are now being linked with the QPR jobs, and here we round up the likely candidates so far.

Pierre Sage

Sage is being linked with the job after leaving Lyon earlier this year, a sacking he described as a ‘market opportunity’ for owner John Textor. The Lyon job was only Sage’s second, and during his time there, he managed to finish runner-up in the French Cup.

“I’m now ready for a new project,” he told The Athletic recently. “I want to begin next season either in France or elsewhere in Europe, ideally in the big five (leagues). My dream is to work in England because I think it’s the best country and the best league, the Championship is a good league too.

“My second job will perhaps be the most important. I think it was Jose Mourinho who said you become a coach when you are fired the first time. It was difficult to lose my job, but the most difficult thing was to leave Lyon because it’s my club, my town.”

Ryan Mason

Mason is yet to have a full-time managerial job, twice taking interim charge of Tottenham, but he has impressed as a coach at the North London club. He was a first-team coach under Antonio Conte, who was impressed by Mason’s work, and he was also kept on as an assistant to Ange Postecoglou.

It’s not too often coaches managed to stay on under different regimes, but Mason is, of course, liked up the club higherups. It would be a gamble to hire a boss with no experience, but Mason will have to start somewhere.

Gary O’Neil

O’Neil impressed initially with Bournemouth as caretaker boss but then hit a rotten run of form and lost his job shortly after becoming permanent manager. With Wolves he enjoyed a better run, keeping the Midlands side pretty comfortably in the Premier League with a 14th place finish, but he struggled at the start of this season and was sacked.

Concerningly, O’Neil has struggled for long-term consistency in both of his roles, but on both counts he has made an immediate impact. His next job will likely come in the Championship.

Richie Wellens

Wellens as been the Leyton Orient boss since 2022, and he has done a stellar coast there, guiding Orient to promotion from League Two and now a play-off finish in League One this season, finishing sixth. He has also held posts at Oldham Athletic, Swindon Town, Salford City and Doncaster Rovers.

He won League Two with Swindon, while he won an EFL Trophy with Salford City. Aside from Doncaster Wellens has had a positive impact at most of his clubs so far, and he is still only 45 years of age.

Jason Tindall

Tindall has been one of the surprise links having become a popular figure at Newcastle as Eddie Howe’s number two, The former defender has had a decent spell in charge of AFC Bournemouth previously, lasting around five months, but he is very inexperienced as a first-team boss.

Tindall has previously said of managerial aspirations after filling in for Howe during the Newcastle manager’s bout with illness: "That's never been my intention (to replace Howe), it's not what I wanted at that time it was just with the circumstances the manager needed a break and work out what his next chapter should be so the opportunity came my way and it was one I couldn't turn down. It's certainly not something I've got in mind, I'm happy in my role and it's something I want to continue to do."

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