Ilias Chair
Ilias Emilian Chair (born 30 October 1997) is a Belgian-born Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Championship club Queens Park Rangers.
Chair playing for Queens Park Rangers | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ilias Emilian Chair[1] | ||
Date of birth | 30 October 1997 | ||
Place of birth | Antwerp, Belgium | ||
Height | 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current team | Queens Park Rangers | ||
Number | 10 | ||
Youth career | |||
Club Brugge | |||
–2015 | JMG Academy Belgium | ||
–2015 | Lierse S.K. | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2015–2017 | Lierse S.K. | 2 | (0) |
2017– | Queens Park Rangers | 72 | (10) |
2019 | → Stevenage (loan) | 16 | (6) |
National team | |||
2018– | Morocco U23 | 1 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 January 2021 (UTC) |
Club career
Early career
Chair began his career in the youth system at Lierse S.K.[4] He also spent time at the academy of Club Brugge, as well as the JMG Academy Belgium.[5] Chair made his professional debut for Lierse at the age of 17, playing in the Belgian Second Division, when he came as a 76th-minute substitute in Lierse's 1–1 away draw at Coxyde on 9 August 2015.[6][7] He subsequently started his first match a month later, on 9 September 2015, playing the full 90 minutes in a 3–2 home defeat to Cercle Brugge.[6][8]
Queens Park Rangers
Chair went on trial at Championship club QPR in January 2017.[4] During the trial period, he scored in a 3–1 friendly win for the U23s against Bournemouth.[4] He subsequently signed for QPR on a permanent basis on 31 January 2017.[4] Chair was added to the club's Elite Development Squad and spent the remainder of the 2016–17 season playing for the club's U23 team.[4]
Having impressed QPR manager Ian Holloway in training,[9] Chair was named as a substitute in club's first round EFL Cup tie against Northampton Town at Loftus Road on 8 August 2017.[10] He replaced Luke Freeman in the 63rd minute of the match to make his first-team debut.[6][10] Chair made his first starting appearance for QPR in a 1–0 defeat against Preston North End at Deepdale on 2 December 2017.[11] He signed a two-year contract extension with the club on 9 February 2018, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2020.[12] He scored his first goal for the club during QPR's final home game of the 2017–18 campaign on 28 April 2018, scoring a volley at the far post as QPR overturned a one-goal deficit to win 3–1 against Birmingham City.[13] Chair made seven first-team appearances during the season, scoring once.[14]
Having made eight appearances for QPR during the first half of the 2018–19 season,[15] Chair joined League Two club Stevenage on a loan deal for the remainder of the season on 31 January 2019.[16][17] He made his Stevenage debut in the club's 1–0 victory over Yeovil Town at Broadhall Way on 2 February 2019, playing the full match.[18] Chair scored his first goals for Stevenage by scoring two long-range efforts late-on in a 2–2 away draw at league leaders Lincoln City on 16 February 2019.[19] A month later, on 12 March 2019, he scored from within his own half in Stevenage's 2–0 home win against Swindon Town.[20] Chair was nominated for League Two Player of the Month for March 2019 having contributed four goals and four assists during the month.[21] He made 16 appearances during the loan agreement, scoring six times and assisting six goals.[15][22] Stevenage manager Dino Maamria described Chair as "the best player that has ever worn the Stevenage shirt", as well as the best player to have ever played in League Two.[22]
Upon his return to QPR, he signed a new three-year contract with the club in September 2019.[23] Under new manager Mark Warburton, Chair became a key player for QPR at the start of the 2019–20 season.
On 29 January 2021, Chair signed a new four-and-a-half year deal that would see him remain at the club until 2025, with the club having the option to extend this contract by another year.[24]
International career
Chair was born in Belgium and is of Moroccan descent.[2] He was called up to the Morocco U20 squad for a week-long training camp in Rabat in June 2017.[2] Chair represented the Morocco U23s in a 1–0 friendly defeat to the Senegal U23s on 23 March 2018.[25]
Career statistics
- As of match played 12 December 2020
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Lierse S.K. | 2015–16[6] | Belgian Second Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
2016–17[6] | Belgian First Division B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
Queens Park Rangers | 2017–18[14] | Championship | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
2018–19[15] | Championship | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |
2019–20[26] | Championship | 41 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 5 | |
2020–21[27] | Championship | 17 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 5 | |
Total | 66 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 11 | ||
Stevenage (loan) | 2018–19[15] | League Two | 16 | 6 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 | ||
Career total | 84 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 17 |
References
- "Club list of registered players" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Ilias Chair set for Morocco Under-20 training camp". Queens Park Rangers F.C. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Ilias Chair - Queen's Park Rangers - Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- "Under-23s add Belgian attacker to ranks". Queens Park Rangers F.C. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "JMG Football – Ilias Chair". JMG Academy. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- Ilias Chair at Soccerway. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Coxyde 1–1 Lierse". Soccerway. 9 August 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Lierse 2–3 Cercle Brugge". Soccerway. 9 August 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "QPR Profile – Ilias Chair". Queens Park Rangers F.C. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- "QPR 1–0 Northampton Town". BBC Sport. 8 August 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Preston North End 1–0 QPR". BBC Sport. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Ilias Chair: QPR midfielder signs new contract until 2020". BBC Sport. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "QPR 3–1 Birmingham City". BBC Sport. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- "Games played by Ilias Chair in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Games played by Ilias Chair in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Stevenage sign Byrne on permanent deal and four players on loan". BBC Sport. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Ilias Chair joins Stevenage on loan". Queens Park Rangers F.C. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Stevenage 1–0 Yeovil Town". BBC Sport. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- "Lincoln City 2–2 Stevenage". BBC Sport. 16 February 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- "Stevenage 2–0 Swindon Town". BBC Sport. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
- "Ilias Chair nominated for PFA Player of the Month". Stevenage F.C. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Ilias Chair 'the best player that has ever worn a Stevenage Football Club shirt' according to boss Dino Maamria". The Comet. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- "Ilias Chair: QPR midfielder signs new three-year contract". BBC Sport. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
- "Ilias Chair extends QPR stay until 2025". www.qpr.co.uk. 29 January 2021.
- "Chair features in Morocco U23 defeat". Queens Park Rangers F.C. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
- "Games played by Ilias Chair in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
- "Games played by Ilias Chair in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 25 November 2020.