Chris Willock Set to Face Former Club QPR for First Time

Chris Willock, a winger, departed Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in the summer after his contract concluded, subsequently signing with Cardiff City. QPR expressed regret at his departure. Willock is anticipated to encounter his former club for the first time when QPR visits the Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday night. Should he participate, Willock may be looking for this reunion with Rangers to potentially ignite an improvement in his current form. During his four seasons at Loftus Road, the former Arsenal youth player registered 20 goals across 144 appearances for QPR, with his highest single-campaign tally being seven strikes in 2021-22. However, since joining Cardiff, Willock has netted only a single goal, which occurred during the 5-0 win against Plymouth in October. He has featured in 14 matches for the Bluebirds, though only six of these have been league starts, and he remained on the bench during last weekend’s draw at Sheffield Wednesday. In July, prior to Willock finalizing a three-year contract with Cardiff, QPR chief executive Christian Nourry released a statement. Nourry indicated that following “several months” of contract negotiations, the former Benfica player opted to depart. He further commented that it was “no secret” that Rangers “would have liked to have found a way to continue the adventure” with Willock. Five months subsequent to these events, QPR currently occupies the bottom position in the Championship standings. Cardiff, positioned only five points higher, is anticipating that Willock will demonstrate a more significant influence as the season progresses.