QPR head coach Cifuentes leaves club

Marti Cifuentes, the championship team’s head coach, has left Queens Park Rangers.

Following the Hoops’ final home game of the season, a 5-0 defeat against Burnley in April, the 42-year-old took gardening leave.

Julien Stephan, the former Rennes and Strasbourg head coach, is rumored to be in charge.

According to chief executive Christian Nourry, “the decision to put Marti on gardening leave towards the end of the season was not easy.”

“I want to thank Marti without a doubt for making a positive impression during his two years here as we move forward.

When he first arrived in the division under difficult circumstances, he did a fantastic job of helping us stay in the division, and he worked hard to do so in 2024 and 25.

In October 2023, Cifuentes took Gareth Ainsworth’s place at Loftus Road, leaving the club with a Championship second-place finish.

The Spaniard won a memorable 4-0 win at home to Leeds United to keep the Rs from falling further down and to finish in 18th place.

This one took a while to get going, just like last season.

The Rs dropped to the bottom of the table in November after only two victories in their first 16 league games and almost three months without a victory.

However, in Cardiff, Zan Celar scored his first goals since joining the club in the summer, launching a run of 10 victories in 18 games that put them 11th, three points clear of the play-offs, with a 2-0 victory.

Former players have been largely out with injuries, including Jake Clarke-Salter, Ilias Chair, and Jack Colback.

Young players like Rayan Kolli and Kieran Morgan have joined the two recognized strikers, Michael Frey and Celar, who have also been ruled out for significant periods.

With two victories in Cifuentes’ final 12 games in charge, QPR’s form faltered once more toward the end of the season.

Although it was beginning to appear that he had moved away from Loftus Road, he declared, “As long as I’m wanted, I’m very happy,” and that he and the club should be working together as things progress.

The final game of the season came down to the title-chasing Clarets with a 5-0 defeat, and Cifuentes waved goodbye to the fans in a lap of honor that marked a painful end to his time at the club.