Luke Freeman has previously played for QPR and netted them £5 million, and Palmer thinks the R’s should re-sign him on a free
There are still a number of free agents on the market ready to sign for clubs after the summer transfer window closed, with one of those being Luke Freeman.
The 31-year-old, who was at Arsenal as a youngster having signed for the Gunners from Gillingham as a 15-year-old, has made a good career for himself at Championship level after passing through Stevenage and Bristol City in League One.
Freeman jumped up to the second tier with the Robins in 2015 and even went on to play Premier League football for Sheffield United, with his most recent club being Luton Town.
Signing for the Hatters in the summer of 2022 following his exit from the Blades, Freeman was used frequently under Nathan Jones but when he departed for Southampton midway through the campaign.
However, groin complications that had hampered his previous few years re-emerged not long after Rob Edwards arrived to take over from Jones, which saw the midfielder miss four months of the season.
Freeman returned late in the season but was not in the squad for the play-off final win over Coventry City, and just a few days before the transfer window closed he parted company with the new Premier League outfit.
Who would Luke Freeman be a good signing for?
Former England international midfielder Carlton Palmer believes that Freeman would be a decent fit at Queens Park Rangers, who are a club where he has already played in his career.
Freeman joined the Hoops in January 2017 from Bristol City for around £500,000 and had his best season for the club in 2017-18, when he scored five Championship goals but also notched 12 assists as well.
Racking up another 13 goal contributions the following season, Freeman earned himself a move to the Premier League in 2019 with Sheffield United, with the R’s bagging £5 million for the left footed dynamo’s services.
Freeman though would now be an asset once again for QPR if they decided to pursue a deal for the midfielder.
“Luke Freeman is a free agent after leaving Luton – still only 31, the midfielder played a part in their promotion season under Nathan Jones, but when the new manager (Rob Edwards) came in, he did not figure in his plans,” Palmer said when speaking to Football League World.
“I think somewhere like QPR could be a good fit – the way he likes to play and the style of play would marry up well.”
Having converted into more of a central midfielder or a number 10 in recent years, there would definitely be a role for Freeman to play in the right system at Loftus Road.
Gareth Ainsworth does have midfield options, with Sam Field, Andre Dozzell, Jack Colback and Taylor Richards in that area of the pitch, but that quartet lacks a bit of dynamism – aside from Richards who has barely featured under his management.
In a midfield three, Freeman would provide creativity through the middle with Ilias Chair and Chris Willock out wide if both fully fit, whilst he could also provide versatility out wide.
If Ainsworth continues to use a 3-4-3 formation then Freeman wouldn’t fit as much in the engine room, but there is the scope to change systems around with the players at his disposal.
The only real issue though would be that Freeman is yet another left-footed midfielder, with all of Ainsworth’s central midfield options preferring to use that particular foot – that could create a further imbalance but the ex-Arsenal man’s technical ability could make up for that.
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