One of Sheffield United’s long-standing players is set for a loan move away from Yorkshire.
The Blades narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season, losing out to Sunderland in the Championship play-off final.
Chris Wilder was replaced by Ruben Selles over the summer, but the new manager hasn’t had the best start to life in Sheffield.
Several names have already left the club this summer as Selles builds his own Sheffield United side. Now, 26-year-old Rhys Norrington-Davies is also set for the exit door, with a move to Queens Park Rangers agreed.
Rhys Norrington-Davies to QPRÂ
Norrington-Davies has been with the club since 2017 and played 66 times for the Blades.Â
Last season, he struggled to get regular first-team minutes, leading to question marks over his future.Â
It’s been confirmed by Football Insider that Norrington-Davies is currently on his way to London to have a medical with QPR.
Julien Stephan was keen to improve the QPR backline, and the Sheffield United fullback will be able to do just that.
Norrington-Davies Needs First Team Minutes
The Welsh defender played just 14 times last season, starting just two games. He averaged 19 minutes per game and played a total of 270 minutes. In his minimal game time last season, he received an average Sofascore rating of 6.58.
His lack of game time wasn’t just exclusive to last season. The left back has struggled to get regular minutes for the past three seasons. In the last three seasons, he played just 34 times in the Championship and Premier League combined.
In the 2021/22 Championship season, he featured 22 times — the most of any season for Sheffield United. Norrington-Davies received an average rating of 6.77 in that campaign for the Blades.
Is This a Good Move for QPR?
In the opening two games of the season, QPR have used two different left-backs.Â
Esquerdinha (19) started the first game against Preston North End, while Amadou Salif Mbengue (23) started the second game against Watford. Neither player looked amazing when given their chance, receiving a 6.4 and 5.9 Sofascore rating, respectively.
Both are young and inexperienced at this level. Signing Norrington-Davies adds experience to the position, both in terms of age and Championship experience.
If he can hit the ground running, the signing could be a smart decision by Stephan and his staff – signing a player who can influence on the pitch, while helping guide the two younger defenders off it.