Charlie Austin throws weight behind potential Les Ferdinand replacement at QPR | OneFootball

Former Queens Park Rangers striker Charlie Austin believes Steve Gallen should replace Les Ferdinand as the club's Director of Football.

Ferdinand stepped down from his role at Loftus Road after eight years at the club amid growing fan criticism after a turbulent season.

The 56-year-old is regarded as one of the club's greatest-ever players, scoring 90 goals in 184 games for the R's between 1987 and 1995 and he returned to West London in October 2014 as Head of Football Operations before moving into his Director of Football role in February 2015.

Why is Les Ferdinand leaving QPR?

Ferdinand departs after the Hoops narrowly avoided relegation from the Championship following a disastrous second half of the season which saw them win just four of their last 30 games.

The R's enjoyed an excellent start to the campaign under Michael Beale and sat top of the table in late October, but after initially turning down a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Beale left for Rangers in November.

He was replaced by Neil Critchley, but the 44-year-old struggled at Loftus Road and was sacked in February after just one win from his 12 games in charge in all competitions.

Gareth Ainsworth moved from Wycombe Wanderers to become the club's third manager of the season and after a tough start, he managed to lead the Hoops to safety, recording a 20th-placed finish.

Fans have directed much of their discontent towards Ferdinand and he explained that while it was a difficult decision, he believes it is the right time to move on.

"This has not been an easy decision. My life is football, I love football and I want to stay in football but I do feel this is the right time for me to step down from my position here," Ferdinand said on the club's official website.

"Everyone knows how special Queens Park Rangers is to me and it has been a privilege to be back at the club.

"There have been challenging times and I have had to make some very difficult decisions but every decision I have made has been with the best interests of the club at heart."

What did Charlie Austin say?

According to West London Sport, Charlton Athletic Director of Football Steve Gallen is a contender to replace Ferdinand.

Gallen spent almost two decades on the coaching staff at Loftus Road, including stints as an academy coach and first-team coach before leaving in 2016 as part of changes by Ferdinand.

The 49-year-old joined the Addicks as Head of Recruitment in April 2017 before becoming Director of Football in January 2020.

after leaving his position as first-team coach at West Ham United.

But Austin, who has had two stints at Loftus Road, emphatically backed Gallen to make a return to Loftus Road on social media.

Should Steve Gallen replace Les Ferdinand at QPR?

Gallen would be a sensible choice for the R's.

He knows the club extremely well and has been praised for his work at Charlton, while Austin will be no stranger to Gallen having worked with him during his time at Loftus Road, so it is a significant endorsement.

Warburton is said to be interested in the role, but he left last year due to disagreements with the board and as he did a good job in his time in charge of the club, his return could potentially undermine Ainsworth.

It is the right decision for Ferdinand to depart, but the Hoops must now ensure they make the right appointment to bring some much-needed stability to the club.