Portsmouth told to make 'no brainer' transfer for QPR fan favourite who just quit Loftus Road

Portsmouth have been tipped to make a transfer swoop for Lommel winger Koki Saito following his departure from QPR this summer.

The 23-year-old has returned to the Belgian Challenger Pro League outfit following his season long loan at Loftus Road. Saito impressed during his stint in the Championship and could be courted by second tier sides this summer.

QPR confirmed on social media this week that Saito would leave the club following the end of his loan deal. In that post, the return of Ronnie Edwards to Southampton, Yang Min-Hyeok to Tottenham Hotspur and Harrison Ashby to Newcastle United were also confirmed.

Portsmouth encouraged to make ‘no brainer’ transfer

The winger made 39 Championship appearances for QPR last season, scoring three goals and picking up two assists. He earned a reputation as a fan favourite thanks to his cheery off-the-pitch interviews and darting runs on the field.

Pompey News have claimed that it would be a ‘no brainer decision’ for Portsmouth to pursue a move for Saito. The player is reportedly available as a free agent and his qualities are said to be exactly what Portsmouth need.

The outlet adds that Pompey were too reliant on Josh Murphy to provide attacking impetus last summer and, should he leave Fratton Park, Saito could be the ‘perfect replacement’ at excellent value.

QPR strengthen in winger department

It wouldn’t be surprising to see QPR also look to bring Saito back to the Championship but a change of management from Marti Cifuentes to Julien Stephan does cast doubts on whether the winger would still be wanted in west London. QPR have already strengthened on the flanks with the arrival of former Peterborough United man Kwame Poku this summer.

Speaking about Saito’s development last season, Cifuentes said: “There’s always an adaptation process for all the players. I said months ago that it is always unpredictable. Sometimes it takes one week sometimes it can take one year. With Koki, since day one, he looked up to the pace of the game. And then it was some more tactical things that he had to learn about the way of playing and the league itself but he’s showing he’s a very good player in the last third.

“He has this trademark about the one-v-one on the edge of the box that is very difficult to stop and now he has been growing in other areas of the game. He’s defending well, he is reliable when we are building up. He is playing at a high level.”

In other news, QPR now have decision to make over 'brilliant' player as rivals express transfer interest.