Most Queens Park Rangers eyes this week have been on the confirmed sale of Academy graduate Darnell Furlong to West Bromwich Albion, but on Monday we did have another arrival in the shape of former Colchester United goalkeeper Dillon Barnes.
The 23-year-old stopper comes in as a free agent as although he featured for Colchester 26 times last year, keeping eight clean sheets, he rejected the chance to sign a new deal with them over the summer so he becomes manager Mark Warburton’s ninth addition of the summer so far. He has also penned a two year deal.
š Welcome to #QPR, Dillon Barnes!#WelcomeDillon
— QPR FC (@QPR) July 22, 2019
Speaking to the Official Site, Warburton explained the signing, calling him a ‘talented’ young stopper with ‘so much development potential’.
Goalkeeper coach Gavin Ward confirmed that one of Joe Lumley, Liam Kelly and Seny Dieng would be heading out on loan ahead of the transfer window slamming shut, so Barnes provides more experienced cover so we can leave the Under 23 group to continue their own development.
“Iāve seen a lot of him, he has got the raw ingredients to become a very good goalkeeper. We have to perfect that now and make him technically as good as he can be. We have got Joe, Liam and Seny, and one of those will be going out on loan, so we donāt want to leave ourselves short. Tyla Dickinson and Marcin Brzozowski are doing great in the Under-23s but we just needed that extra one in as well.”
Reacting to his arrival with plenty growing impatient at the lack of our striker options, it was probably unfair to the lad for that point to be made on his announcement, but such are frustrations.
When you have no recognised senior first team striker but sign a 4th goalie pic.twitter.com/oN3zIbbxi1
— Adam A (@aanjo86) July 22, 2019
Can he play up front
— george (@George_QPR) July 22, 2019
#qpr we are playing a new formation 3 goalies – 4 defenders – 4 midfielders -0 upfront … it will confuse the opposition …genius
— Raghu Bala (@raghurambala) July 23, 2019
Fully believe this whole pre-season has been a wind up. We havenāt really sold anyone and we are going to buy some players.
— Scott Purdue (@ScottPurdue8) July 22, 2019
Obviously worried about the defence think Warburton wants to play two keepers and still have two on the bench!!
— Robert Elliott (@sideshowrob67) July 22, 2019
This honestly makes no sense surely you don't need four senior keepers even if one's out on loan
— Ollie Taiani (@qpr_ollie) July 22, 2019
What the hell is Warburton playing at? Signed another keeper so he can loan out one of the three potential senior keepers we have. Why not just not loan one of them out? Who is sanctioning all these deals? Why have we abandoned any sort of strategy?
— Mick Walsh (@MickWalsh63) July 22, 2019
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