Why Kwame Poku has signed for QPR - he's revealed reasoning behind Birmingham City, Rangers snub | OneFootball

The R's have completed the signing of the Peterborough United winger.

QPR have completed the statement signing of Peterborough United winger Kwame Poku.

Announced via their club website on Saturday afternoon, the R's have fended off significant interest in the 23-year-old wideman to capture his signature.

Birmingham City and Rangers were two of the clubs most strongly linked with a move for the Ghanaian international, but it's the Hoops that have put out a real statement of intent to the rest of the Championship with this deal.

Kwame Poku reveals Julien Stephan played huge part in affirming QPR decision

Speaking in his first interview as a QPR player with the club website, Poku has revealed why he believes QPR is the right place to continue his development.

It's clear that new R's boss Julien Stephan has played a leading role in convincing the former Posh forward that Loftus Road is the place to be moving forward.

He said: "I feel like the project they're building here excites me and I want to be part of taking QPR to that next level. There's good players here and I think it's exciting times for the club.

"When I was speaking to him (Stephan) he was talking about where he sees me fitting in and where he thinks I can influence the game.

"That's what really attracted me. Being 23 turning 24 (on 11 August), I'm not quite young anymore so I want to come in and make my mark from the jump."

QPR look to be heading in exciting new direction - Poku is latest evidence of that

It's amazing what a new manager and a couple of exciting signings can do to lift the mood surrounding a football club.

Having once again underwhelmed in the second tier with a 15th-placed finish last term, and a manager in Marti Cifuentes who'd been on gardening leave since the end of April, the club headed into the summer with fans feeling largely drained of optimism at the direction their club was heading.

However, the events of this last week will have re-energised the entire Loftus Road faithful.

The signing of Barnsley keeper Murphy Cooper was confirmed on Monday, Stephan's appointment was confirmed on Wednesday, the arrival of Reading's star centre-back Amadou Mbengue was announced on Thursday, then right-back Kealey Adamson joined the club on Friday, and now Poku has signed up the R's revolution on Saturday.

As such, there is a growing feeling of QPR perhaps being a club to watch in the Championship next season, having previously faded into relative obscurity thanks to three-straight bottom-half finishes over the last three campaigns.

However, with a host of exciting signings being made, a new manager in charge and a fanbase now galvanised once again, perhaps 2025/26 will be the year that Rangers break their bottom-half curse, and return to Premier League promotion contention once again.