Queens Park Rangers are set to appoint Gareth Ainsworth as their new manager following an apparent interest in former Bristol City boss Dean Holden.
The free-falling Championship side sacked Neil Critchley on Sunday after just 12 games in charge. He won just once with the club sitting in 17th and eight points away from the drop zone.
Ainsworth quickly became the frontrunner to take charge having spent seven years at Loftus Road as a player and QPR later agreed compensation with Wycombe Wanderers. He is currently the second longest-serving boss in the Football League after joining the Chairboys in September 2012.
According to talkSPORT, QPR also considered luring Holden away from this role at Charlton with an approach. However, club owner Thomas Sandgaard dismissed those claims insisting they received no request to speak with their manager reports South London Press.
Holden has impressed since his appointment with Charlton in December. Having signed a short-term deal until the end of the season, he has guided them up to 11th in the league having taken over when they were struggling in 17th.
His good work and uncertainty over his long-term future have not gone unnoticed with Holden also linked with the vacant Huddersfield Town job before their appointment of Neil Warnock until the end of the season. He was also reportedly on the radar of Blackpool earlier in the season.
Holden waited patiently for his opportunity in the dugout following his sacking as City manager in February 2021. He then went on to become Michael O'Neill's assistant at Stoke City to further develop his coaching career with ambitions to return as the main man in the dugout.
He spent four years on the coaching staff at the Robins before taking the head coach role following Lee Johnson's sacking. After winning his first four games in charge, Holden failed to maintain momentum and was later dismissed after a run of six successive losses.
QPR's appointment of Ainsworth could happen later today with his first game coming against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. City travel to Loftus Road on the final day of the season.
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