Left for nothing, now a PL regular: QPR had a nightmare on “excellent” 23 y/o ace

Jordan Zemura was once in QPR‘s academy but the young left-back is now making a name for himself in the Premier League with Bournemouth.

The Zimbabwe international left the Hoops in 2011 when, in fairness to the west London side, it would have been impossible to tell whether or not he would even make it as a professional footballer, let alone a Premier League one.

He would join Charlton Athletic but failed to make a single first-team appearance during his time with the Addicks, which suggests that they too had doubts about his ability to play at the top level.

However, he would join Bournemouth in 2019 on a free transfer and quickly blossomed into a first-team player with the Cherries, before playing a huge part in their promotion to the Premier League last season.

Under Scott Parker, the 23-year-old would make 33 appearances in the Championship, averaging an impressive 6.91 rating from WhoScored for his performances, after contributing three goals and one assist in the second tier.

Parker was full of praise for the youngster last season after he hit a brace in a 3-0 win over Barnsley.

He said: “He was excellent today and has been excellent since he’s come in and got the shirt.

“Today was a fine performance and I think you can see he is an attack-minded full-back. He has a lovely forward drive about him and is improving defensively.”

This season has seen him continue as a regular in the Premier League, with 12 appearances under his belt already, and he will be hoping to push on when top-flight football resumes after the World Cup.

It is impressive for a 23-year-old defender to be selected so often in a Premier League side, especially one that is expected to be fighting towards the bottom of the league, and it seems as if Zemura is destined for a good career at the highest level.

Therefore, QPR will surely be regretting letting him go in 2011, as the young defender is already rated at €4m (£3.4m) by Transfermarkt, a valuation that will surely only increase if he continues to catch the eye in the top flight.