QPR were linked with Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer during the summer and now that Neil Critchley has arrived at Loftus Road, the Hoops may hold an advantage in any January negotiations.

After Archer impressed on loan with Preston North End last season, hitting seven goals for the Lilywhites in the second half of the Championship campaign, as well as four goals in four games for England U21s, he had a number of suitors including QPR during the summer.

It was even suggested that the Hoops were the favourites to bring in the 21-year-old earlier this year due to their Michael Beale connection but in the end, Steven Gerrard decided to keep him at the club.

However, he has struggled for regular game time under both Gerrard and new manager Unai Emery, making just seven substitute appearances in all competitions this season, which suggests that he could be available on loan when the transfer window re-opens next month.

Considering QPR have managed just one goal in their last six Championship fixtures, it seems clear that Critchley needs some added firepower in January, and he may be able to use his Aston Villa connections to finally bring the promising youngster to Loftus Road.

The former Blackpool boss will have worked closely with Archer during his spell as Aston Villa assistant manager, which might just hand the Hoops an advantage in what is likely to be a fiercely-contested transfer race to sign the striker.

During his time at Preston last season, the Villa youngster earned a lot of praise from manager Ryan Lowe.

He said: “Cameron has got an abundance of talent.

“It is getting him in the right places, I don’t want him coming short all the time, I want him to be on the shoulder, sniffing around, being proactive, not reactive.

“His quality levels are fantastic, he’s bullish, strong, he can roll, he has got that little burst of pace too."

If the Hoops are going to get their promotion hopes back on track under Critchley, it seems clear that they need more quality in attack, and a statement loan signing such as Archer would certainly do the trick.