In our latest fan column, Charlie Skinner discusses what the future holds for QPR prospect Ebere Eze.
Ebere Eze is, by all accounts, a fantastic prospect that we got from Millwall last year and was making a name for himself in our youth set up overseen by Chris Ramsey. Every Twitter update I saw of QPR’s development squad would say he scored or assisted and as I’m sure many were thinking, “why isn’t he in or around our first team yet?”
Eventually he got his chance in an FA Cup tie against Blackburn Rovers. A torrid 2-1 loss where the only bright spark was a youngster making his professional debut. Ebere Eze was the only player who wanted the ball on that pitch and the only player who wanted to drive forward and make something happen. Unfortunately his debut lasted 18 minutes due to a bad ankle injury. He hasn’t been seen in the starting line up since.
After regaining fitness, he was sent on loan at the beginning of the 2017/2018 season to Wycombe Wanderers where he has flourished. Playing 14 league games and scoring 5 goals for an attacking midfielder is a very good record, without even mentioning this is his first real professional season.
The Wycombe Wanderers message boards are full of praise for the youngster, as is QPR favourite and Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth who described him as “a special talent.” Ainsworth also said, “One day I am sure he will be playing at the highest level and it is fantastic for us at the moment to have him.” Certainly glowing praise from the Wild Thing,
The question remains, should his loan that expires in January be extended or should he be vying for a place in our starting line up?
With R’s languishing in 18th in the Championship and on a very poor run at the moment, something certainly needs to change. Ebere Eze could be the player who gets the fans off their feet and maybe even a game changer. However, it is a very big step up from League Two and personally I don’t feel it is worth risking his development by throwing him in to a team struggling for form and results. Either renew his loan at Wycombe until the summer, or loan him out again to a League One team and see how he performs there. Then, in the summer, integrate him in to the first team and take your time in doing so.
Whatever happens we certainly have an exciting talent on our hands. The most important thing is to let him play and let him enjoy his football.
If you're interested in writing a fan column, get in touch with our QPR reporter Phil Spencer by emailing Phil.Spencer@trinitymirror.com.
