Highly-rated Championship boss could QUIT club after fallout with CEO leaving rivals on alert

QPR manager Marti Cifuentes could jump ship to another Championship club due to widespread frustrations behind the scenes. Cifuentes is reportedly considering his options after steering clear of relegation for the second straight season.

The west London side are 15th in the Championship with two matches to play and have turned their attention towards planning for the summer. Cifuentes joined QPR in October 2023 and has become popular with supporters, having achieved decent results under difficult circumstances.

But there are now concerns that the 42-year-old could be tempted by rival clubs, with vacancies open at Norwich and . Norwich sacked Johannes Hoff Thorup and the Baggies parted company with Tony Mowbray on Easter Monday and Cifuentes could become a candidate for the jobs.

reports that he is frustrated with QPR chief executive Christian Nourry, who was hired in January 2024 to oversee recruitment. The 27-year-old previously helped advise the club’s ownership as part of the football strategy group Retexo and has assumed a lot of power in recent years.

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Rangers have not appointed a director of football since Les Ferdinand left the club in June 2023 and Cifuentes has been disappointed by the signings Nourry oversaw. In an indication of the conflicting ideas behind the scenes, Nourry’s suggestion that the team hire a set piece coach was vetoed earlier this season.

The Spanish manager has also reportedly been irritated that director of performance Ben Williams is allowed to oversee sports science, medical, physio and nutrition departments remotely from Dubai. Cifuentes has been vocal in his belief that QPR have suffered too many injuries and things appear to be building up ahead of a planned end-of-season meeting.

“I need to sit with Christian and decide what is the plan. What does he want? And what is the idea?” Cifuentes said after the 2-1 defeat by Swansea on the weekend. “Obviously I have my thoughts and my ideas on how we can improve.”

He added: “QPR as a club has amazing potential. That was one of the reasons I wanted to come here. The fantastic training ground that we’ve got, the location [of Loftus Road], the history and also the identity and style of football that this club has played in the past, which fits very well into my idea, and I think there is a solid foundation to take bigger steps.

“What we have achieved this season is remarkable. It’s a big achievement, especially given how difficult it has been (with injuries), but I think the foundation for next season is good.

“It’s just about taking the right decisions. It’s always going to be difficult against teams with parachute payments coming down from the . We need to find the ‘edge’ to take this next step.

“The supporters as well, since I came here, amazing support, but I would like to give them something else and not just celebrate another season in the Championship. It’s not easy, but I think there is the potential to take the next step.”

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