Next QPR manager: Johannes Hoff Thorup has already explained what he likes about the R's

QPR are believed to be edging closer to a resolution over the managerial debacle at Loftus Road with former Norwich City head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup set to replace Marti Cifuentes.

Cifuentes was placed on ‘gardening leave’ last month and, while the Catalan coach could return to the role, looks destined to leave Loftus Road. The Telegraph had reported that talks with Thorup were underway and those look to have been productive.

Scandinavian football specialists Tipsbladet claim that the Dane is ‘close to becoming the new head coach of QPR’. Thorup is said to have had ‘several talks’ with the London outfit, including a face-to-face meeting with those in charge of hiring.

Johannes Hoff Thorup linked with QPR job

That could be a popular appointment at Loftus Road with Thorup well liked at Carrow Road, despite losing six of his last eight in charge of the Canaries. Thorup faced QPR twice last season when in charge of Norwich City, suffering a 3-0 defeat at Loftus Road before picking up a point in a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road.

Speaking prior to the trip to west London, Thorup was asked for his verdict on Cifuentes’ QPR side and shared praise for the ‘pragmatism’ shown by the team. When reviewing the R’s mixed form, he said: “That’s just the picture of the league, that’s how it is. Especially at home, most teams pick up results at home and QPR can do the same.

“It’s a team that started the season trying to be more dominant in games and then, maybe a little bit more similar to what we discussed with Plymouth, they lost out on some results and also some key players in the team and needed to be a bit more pragmatic to their approach to the game. That’s what we see at the moment.

“They have some good moments. I watched yesterday the game they played against Watford where towards the end of the game they could have easily taken the three points. They had some big, big chances towards the end. If we don’t show up and put a performance that is up to our best, then we cannot expect to travel home [from Loftus Road] with points. We have to put in another good performance.”

Former Norwich City boss on youth and consistency

Should he be appointed at Loftus Road, Thorup will no doubt look to keep that pragmatism and there is reason for optimism when it comes to his verdict of Norwich City too. Speaking before the 1-1 draw with QPR at the end of December, the head coach spoke about the importance of young players and the need for consistency - QPR have seen youth triumph this term in Kieran Moran, Alfie Lloyd and Rayan Kolli, while also being very streaky when it comes to form.

Thorup said: “When I look at the approach and performance [against Millwall], you see so many teams struggle to create chances and score goals against them. When you look at the first half with so many young players and that offensive rhythm and flow in the game, us creating chances and being completely dominant. I think that tells us where we can go with this team. The next step is to build that consistency so we can do it over and over again.”

In other news, Result means QPR have moved closer to £12m payday to fund new manager's transfers.