Why Easah Suliman could be a smashing signing for QPR

According to the West London Sport, QPR have handed a trial to Aston Villa defender Easah Suliman, who is way down the pecking order under Dean Smith at Villa Park.

The 21-year-old featured for QPR’s development side in a 2-1 victory over Coventry City at Loftus Road on Friday and the coaching staff is currently running the rule over the centre-back, with his contract at Villa Park set to expire next summer. (h/t West London Sport)

Born in Birmingham to parents of Pakistani descent, Easah Suliman started his footballing education at Aston Villa and was handed his first-team debut by former manager Steve Bruce in a 4-1 victory over Wigan Athletic in the League Cup in August 2017, which remains his only senior involvement at his boyhood club till date.

Image result for easah suliman" — Easah Suliman made his first-team debut for Aston Villa back in August 2017 (Getty Images)

The 21-year-old, though, has played first-team football on loan at Cheltenham Town and Grimsby Town in League Two, as well as at Emmen in the Dutch Eredivisie.

In fact, he was once a target for Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich but a dream move to the Bundesliga failed to materialize for the highly-rated centre-back. (h/t The Mail)

Suliman, who has represented England at all age-group levels from U-16 to U-20, became the first British-Asian player to captain the Young Lions during the nation’s triumphant campaign at the 2017 UEFA U-19 European Championship.

Despite his obvious struggles in making the transition from the academy to the senior ranks at Aston Villa, the 21-year-old has been a regular fixture for the club’s U-23s since the 2016-17 season, accumulating a total of 61 appearances for the development side across all competitions.

Suliman, 21, is no longer a teenage prodigy and it is high time for him to settle down somewhere else given that he doesn’t seem to have any future at Aston Villa.

The likes of James Chester, Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause have failed to disturb the central defensive pairing of Bjorn Engels and Tyrone Mings, and it is difficult to see how an unproven starlet like Suliman could possibly get a look in from Dean Smith.

To put things into perspective, the 21-year-old’s career in English football is yet to take off due to a lack of playing opportunities but he continues to be a highly-rated centre-back with massive potential and QPR have every reason to look at him as an excellent long-term investment.

Standing at 6ft. 2 inches with a wealth of youth experience under his belt, Easah Suliman certainly has the physicality and the raw materials to achieve greater heights in English football, and notwithstanding the fact that QPR are currently not crying out for defensive reinforcements, the 21-year-old could still make for an exciting addition to the ranks.

Verdict

With Grant Hall, Toni Leistner, Dominic Ball and Yoann Barbet all competing for a place in central defence, Suliman could have hit work cut out in breaking into Mark Warbuton’s plans for the foreseeable future.

However, with Geoff Cameron very much at the twilight of his career at 34 and out of contract next summer, the 21-year-old might have a part to play if he continues his development down the right path.

Furthermore, Warburton has had a big positive influence on the performances of several young and developing players in the team, with the likes of Eberechi Eze, Ryan Manning, Ilias Chair and Bright Osayi-Samuel all showing considerable improvement under the new manager’s guidance, and QPR could possibly have another gem on their hands if Warburton manages to unlock the potential of Easah Suliman.

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With that in mind, QPR should continue to keep close tabs on the centre-back and decide their stance accordingly. It remains to be seen whether they look to prise him away from Villa Park in January or they choose to wait until next summer to complete a potential free transfer.