Reports surfaced online yesterday that Michael Beale was interested in striking a deal for Tim Iroegbunam, with a loan to buy deal being suggested as the likely outcome. The England U20 international has played most of the season in central midfield or DM with a few appearances playing on the left and right hand sides of the midfield. He famously had 0 successful passes in a recent match against Burnley, but everyone’s allowed an off day, right? Let’s look at who he is;
Name – Tim Iroegbunam
Age – 19
Nationality- English
Position – CDM/CM
Club – QPR (on loan from Aston Villa)
Now Michael Beale did state he would not be going back to QPR for any players, but was that just clever word play considering Iroegbunam is an Aston Villa player? Beale was the man to bring him in on loan at QPR having known him from his time at Villa, so if anyone knows the type of players Rangers would be getting it’s the manager.
A tall and powerful midfielder who drives forward with the ball similarly to Joe Aribo is the exactly the type of player the Rangers midfield need. He presses well with relentless energy and obvious fits the profile that Beale is looking for in a midfielder having previously signed him to fit into his system at QPR. Strong in the tackle and not afraid to put himself about, he also takes up excellent positions to be able to gain back possession then will immediately drive the team forward by carrying the ball through midfield.
Let’s look at his stats for this season;
- 32 Appearances (28 Starts)
- 2 Goals
- 0.6 Key Passes Per Game
- 79% Pass Accuracy
- 0.8 Interceptions Per Game
- 2 Tackles Per Game
- 45% Successful Dribbles
- 49% Total Duels Won
Not a creative midfielder by any means but a destroyer either in front of the defence or next to some more attack minded players. His positional play is excellent for a player his age, he always seems to be in the right place to pick up loose balls or just knock it away from his opponent.
The type of dominant and powerful presence the Rangers midfield is crying out for but that doesn’t make this an easy deal. With his form for QPR and the fact he’s still only nineteen, Unai Emery may want to see what he can offer Aston Villa next season. This would go against Michael Beale’s plan to have players in for pre-season as it’s likely Villa would at least give Iroegbunam the full pre season to prove himself.
He’s still got four years left on his Villa deal so even a loan to buy deal wouldn’t be cheap. Beale has worked with him twice already so if the rumours are true, it’s clear he rates him very highly. How do you feel about the possibility of a deal for Tim Iroegbunam?