Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has been charged with getting QPR into the Championship promotion scrap - but there's no guarantee he will have Charlie Austin on board to help that push.
The former Chelsea and Holland striker insisted at his unveiling at Loftus Road yesterday, England striker Austin would 'not be pinched,' in the upcoming transfer window.
But at the same time the man responsible for bringing the Surinam-born 43-year-old to the hoops' hot-seat, Director of Football Les Ferdinand suggested no player is indispensable if the price is right, opening the door for bids for Hasselbaink's main goal threat.
He said: "I think every player has got his price and I would not want to sit here and say Charlie Austin is definitely staying at this football club.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's QPR unveiling in pictures:
"If someone came in with the right price of course we would not want to lose him, but at the same time you don't want to keep a player who is unhappy and does not want to be at the football club."
"If we got that right price and it was the right club for him yet we were trying to keep hold of him he would be of no benefit to us - that is the realisation."
Would-be purchasers will get their next chance to assess if Austin is worth the punt at Hasselbaink's first game in charge at home to Burnley on Saturday.
Austin has scored eight times in 14 appearances this season.
Read more: What did we learn from Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's first QPR press conference?
