‘My best is yet to come’ – QPR forward makes promise after penning new deal

Lyndon Dykes believes that his “best is yet to come” after penning a new three-year contract extension with QPR.

The forward has scored 29 goals in 120 appearances since joining the R’s from Livingston in August 2020.

Dykes was set to be in the final 12 months of his deal at Loftus Road before agreeing fresh terms for Gareth Ainsworth’s side.

Scotland international Dykes scored eight goals and picked up three assists in all competitions for QPR last season.

“I’m really happy,” Dykes told the club’s YouTube channel.

“It was coming to the point where you start to think about what’s happening. But when I got the call about extending my stay here, it was a no brainer.

“It’s somewhere I want to stay because going forward, if you look at the new training ground, it’s in the direction that I want to go in.

“I’m happy to sign the new contract. Every year I’m getting better – there is always room for improvement. But my best is yet to come.

“I’m going to be doing my best to get that out of me.

“Hopefully my best helps the team and us build what we need to during the season. Hopefully, we can get the club to where it wants to be.”

QPR finished 20th in the Championship table last season, falling from the top of the league under Michael Beale to only securing their place in the second tier for the upcoming 2023-24 season in the penultimate game of the campaign.

Beale left to join Rangers, with Neil Critchley coming in and only winning one of his games in charge.

Critchley was replaced by Gareth Ainsworth, who managed to win three of the final 13 matches to keep the west Londoners in the Championship.

“Last year is behind us – everyone knows it was a tough year,” said Dykes, who missed a handful of games last season after contracting pneumonia.

“Going forward, the manager having the pre-season and having the full squad together will be the direction that everyone wants to go in.

“You have seen the new training facilities – it’s Premier League standard. That’s where people at this club want to go, so that’s where I want to go. I want to play in the Premier League and, hopefully, I can do it with this club.

“It was a tough time personally last year with my illness, but I wanted to get back on the pitch as soon as I could.

“Gareth came in and did a good job. It was hard for him to come in when a lot of things were going wrong and heads were down.

“But he did what he needed to do – we stayed in the league. We have had conversations looking forward and what we want to build over the years while I’m here.

“It’s all positive. If the players that are here stick together and we keep grinding, we’re going to get to a place where we all want to be.”