Kazenga LuaLua can help QPR sink some of Albion's promotion rivals

Winger Kazenga LuaLua can still help Albion's promotion push despite loan switch to QPR

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Kazenga LuaLua can help QPR sink some of Albion's promotion rivals

ALBION winger Kazenga LuaLua has joined Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers – but he could still play a big part in the promotion push.

LuaLua’s loan move to Loftus Road for the rest of the season will pit him against many of the teams immediately below the table-topping Seagulls.

Ian Holloway’s Rangers visit third-placed Reading tomorrow night and second-placed Newcastle, LuaLua’s former club, in their next away game after that at the beginning of next month.

The Seagulls will be hoping LuaLua, explosive on his day, shines against their pursuers as a parting shot. The 26-year-old is unlikely to play for the club again.


LuaLua, under contract until June 2018, has slipped down the pecking order in the last year under Chris Hughton since the signings of Anthony Knockaert and Jiri Skalak in the January 2016 transfer window and the recent return from a year-long injury absence of Solly March. He also has Scot Jamie Murphy ahead of him.

LuaLua wanted a move in the summer transfer window. His cause has not been helped since then by a knee cartilage injury – which required surgery and sidelined him for two months – and a lengthy suspension.

LuaLua, used as a senior pro for the under-21s, was sent-off in the closing stages of last month’s Checkatrade Trophy tie at AFC Wimbledon.

His subsequent abusive behaviour towards the officials resulted in a six-match ban, from the last four first team fixtures and two in the competition in which he received his red card.

LuaLua has scored 22 goals in 183 appearances for Albion, including loan spells, during a near seven-year career with the club, the last against Newcastle at the end of August.

Holloway has long been an admirer. He name-checked LuaLua when picking his Championship team of last season in his former role as Sky TV’s Football League expert before returning to manage Rangers in November.

Holloway urgently needs more attacking firepower. Rangers have lost seven of his first ten matches in charge and scored only eight goals.

LuaLua’s exit follows Elvis Manu’s loan return to Holland with Go Ahead Eagles, a permanent move for midfielder Jake Forster-Caskey to Charlton and development squad member Jack Harper’s departure back to Spain with Malaga.

Rohan Ince and Rob Hunt are also expected to go out on loan this month.

Meanwhile, Albion’s home game against Cardiff, postponed at a fogbound Amex on December 30, has been rearranged for January 24, four days after Sheffield Wednesday’s visit and four days before the FA Cup fourth round tie at Lincoln or Ipswich in which Hughton will again make wholesale changes

 

Nice highlighting Kiwi.

 

I'd sooner players playing for our fortunes not others and an injured player with disciplinary problems, why?

 

why
thank you

 

Presumably we need this bloke because according to Holloway Shodipo can't tackle and it is beyond the skills of him and his mob of first team coaches to teach him how to.

 

I would highlight this as the most important from that article: "Holloway has long been an admirer. He name-checked LuaLua when picking his Championship team of last season in his former role as Sky TV’s Football League expert before returning to manage Rangers in November."

Each to their own I guess.

 

He played in 22 of the Seagulls matches last season - was on fire at the beginning of the season linking up well with LB Bong and scoring important goals - went off the boil and got injured.

In all likelihood he is not the player he was - and as mentioned above will not get a start with 4 players ahead of him at BHA. At 26 with a serious injury behind him it's probably touch and go whether he can recapture his best. If we're lucky his attitude will be right and he will be determined to prove BHA were wrong to ship him out. Personally I think we should be developing/rehabilitating our own.

Can't see it working myself - hopefully I'm proved very wrong.

 

you are all missi the obvious he has scored seven goals this season so he should get a brace against reading

 

Yes, another sign that managers obviously see the world differently to us punters. In a disastrous first half of the season Shodipo has been the one bright light, an exciting youngster with skill and flair. But because he doesn't exactly fit the modern wing-back roll he has been overlooked by successive managers. Shocking that the game has become so influenced by coaching academies rather than footballers.

 

Yes, it is a sad indictment.