‘Set To Sign’: Charlton Athletic and QPR to lose Premier League transfer race to Championship rival.
Following a loan spell in League One last season, the budding star is set to move up to the Championship.
This summer, Charlton Athletic and QPR were said to be interested in signing Brighton prodigy Odeluga Offiah, but they look to have lost out to Championship rivals Preston North End.
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In recent weeks, The Valley and Loftus Road have seen a surge in transfer activity. Nathan Jones enjoyed promotion success last season after being active early in the summer window a year ago, and it appears that he will use a similar strategy this season with Sonny Carey, Thomas Kaminski, and Isaac Olaofe already on board.
Meanwhile, in west London, QPR’s progress was stalled due to the managerial disaster. Marti Cifuentes has been replaced by Julien Stephan, while Jimmy Dunne, the 2024/25 Player of the Season, has signed a new deal, with Kwame Poku and Amadou Mbengue joining at Loftus Road.
QPR and Charlton Athletic linked with Brighton defender
Both the Addicks and the R’s were said to be monitoring Offiah, who impressed on loan at Blackpool last season. The defender, who can play both at centre back and right back, made 45 appearances across all competitions for the Tangerines.
Offiah returned to Brighton following his loan term, but he was anticipated to leave and make the step up to Championship level as his development continued. The 22-year-old is unlikely to play an immediate role in Fabirn Hurzeler’s ambitions for the south coast.
His Premier League minutes have come under former manager Roberto De Zerbi. The defender made his Premier League debut against Nottingham Forest in April 2023, followed by his first start against Bournemouth the following year.
After the encounter against the Cherries, De Zerbi stated, “I think he played extremely well. I played alongside Odel Offiah and O’Mahony because Danny Welbeck was unable to play in the first XI. Julio as well. And for another reason: I want to see energy, great energy, and motivation on the pitch.” Steve Bruce praised the player’s physicality during his time at Blackpool.
In February, he told the Blackpool Gazette: “He has all of the qualities that a modern player needs. “He’s huge, strong, and powerful. There have been a couple instances where he has gone on these maze-like runs, and I can see why the audience likes him. He’s done extremely well. “He’s a massive physical beast of a man.”
Preston North End set to win transfer race
However, Preston North End appear to have pushed ahead of QPR and Charlton Athletic in the race to capture the budding sensation. That is according to journalist Richard Cawley, who provided the most recent information on the issue this week.
On Thursday, he posted on social media platform X that Odeluga Offiah was ready to sign with Preston North End. #cafc were also interested in the defender.
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