Rob Dickie’s outstanding start to the season for Queens Park Rangers has caught the eye of Premier League pair Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, as reported by The Mirror.
Well who saw this coming? Everyone at Loftus Road, probably.
Has there been a better performer in the opening two weeks of the Championship season than Rob Dickie?
Not only has the 25-year-old scored in every one of his three appearances in 2020/21 – a remarkable output when you consider he is a centre-half rather than a centre-forward – Dickie also appears to have solved QPR’s long-standing defensive problems.
His superb body-on-the-line block to deny Hull City a certain goal during Saturday’s 3-0 win at the KCom Stadium was even more impressive than his poacher’s finish at the other end – a piece of defending described as ‘Chiellini-esque’ on Quest’s EFL Highlights Show.
“Rob has more than justified his fee,” Rangers boss Mark Warburton told West London Sport of a man who joined from Oxford United in a bargain £1.8 million deal 11 months ago.
“It’s amazing, you read some of these stories about our players being linked with other clubs but the fees listed are nowhere near good enough.
“Rob was a good investment for us. A young centre-half who is getting better and I will think he will get better throughout this season.”
From the Championship to the Premier League for Rob Dickie?
Blessed with superb reading of the game, an impressive goal-scoring record and an ability to carry the ball into midfield with poise and purpose – Dickie’s stunning strike against Millwall highlighted his obvious Premier League potential – it felt like only a matter of time before his name returned to the gossip columns.
The Mirror claims that Burnley are interested, perhaps seeing Dickie as a long-term replacement for contract-rebel James Tarkowski.
The one-time England U18 ace is also a target for Wolves and that should come as no surprise.
Bruno Lage wants his defenders to create as well as destroy, pushing high up the pitch while breaking the lines with piercing through-balls. Dickie looks tailor-made for this new-look Wolves side.
Newcastle United have also been linked.
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