Julio Cesar features: QPR's 5 biggest transfer flop signings from recent times | OneFootball

We take a look at some of the worst signings QPR have made since 2000

QPR have enjoyed a decent start to the season under Marti Cifuentes and have bolstered their squad in the transfer window, with a number of new players making the move to Loftus Road in the summer.

Of course, there's no guarantee a player will live up to expectations after being signed, but Cifuentes will hope that all of his new recruits are able to make an impact this coming season, and it looks like that will be the case so far.

Hoops fans will know all too well what it's like to sign a player that flops, and they've had plenty of players who've been unable to live up to expectations since the turn of the century.

QPR enjoyed some success in the early 2010s and spent a number of seasons in the Premier League, with it being fair to say that they weren't afraid to get the chequebook out and spend money.

With that in mind, here are QPR's five biggest transfer flops of recent times.

Samba Diakite

Samba Diakite spent four-and-a-half years in total on the books at QPR, making just 25 appearances, which tells you everything you need to know about the midfielder's time at Loftus Road.

The Mali international joined the club from Nancy in January 2012, initially on loan, before making it permanent that summer as the Hoops prepared for their second consecutive season in the Premier League, and he started 11 games as they were relegated from the top-flight.

However, that was as good as it got and Diakite was loaned out to Watford in January 2014, enduring a torrid time at Vicarage Road where he played just six times and received a red card for a horror challenge on Dean Whitehead.

A further loan followed at Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad, before failing to make an appearance for QPR during the 2015/16 season and leaving the club on a free transfer that summer after just 25 appearances in four years.

Pascal Chimbonda

Former Tottenham defender Pascal Chimbonda joined QPR in January 2011 from Blackburn Rovers, but the Guadeloupe international failed to live up to expectations at Loftus Road.

In total, he played just three games, totaling 72 minutes for Neil Warnock's side, and was frozen out towards the end of the season after it was made clear that he would not be getting a long-term deal at the club.

The Hoops actually won the Championship title that season, but they picked up just one point in the three games that Chimbonda played, and a 4-1 loss away to Scunthorpe United marked his final appearance before being frozen out.

Esteban Granero

Spanish midfielder Esteban Granero looked to be a real coup for QPR when they signed him from Real Madrid in the summer of 2012 for a fee of around £9million, and he signed a four-year deal in West London.

Unsurprisingly, he didn't see out that four-year deal, and left the club after just one season, initially on loan, before completing a permanent move to Real Sociedad.

He played just 27 times for the Hoops in total, being part of the side that was relegated from the Premier League in 2013, and the £9million they paid for him proved a total waste of money, with the Spaniard struggling to adapt to English football in a poor QPR side.

Tal Ben-Haim

Israeli defender Tal Ben-Haim was a familiar face to Premier League fans, having spent time with the likes of Bolton, Chelsea, Manchester City, Sunderland, Portsmouth and West Ham, but he struggled during his brief stint with the Hoops.

He was brought in on a short-term deal as QPR looked to avoid relegation to the Championship, and despite a bright debut where he registered an assist for Kieron Dyer in a FA Cup tie with West Brom, his time at Loftus Road was miserable.

He played just six games in total, just three of those coming in the league as his side were relegated and he was subsequently released after failing to replicate the form he'd shown during his previous spells in the Premier League, a poor deal all round.

Julio Cesar

A signing that still raises eyebrows now, QPR pulled off what looked to be an incredible coup in the summer of 2012 when they signed Champions League winner and Brazil's first choice goalkeeper Julio Cesar from Inter Milan.

He made a bright start to life in the Premier League, keeping a clean sheet against Champions League winners Chelsea, but he was unable to keep up this run of form for too long, and couldn't stop his side from being relegated to the Championship after making 24 appearances in the English top-flight.

Cesar initially remained at the club following ther relegation, but he was completely frozen out by Harry Redknapp, and was loaned out to Toronto in the MLS in February 2014.

His contract with the Hoops was terminated in August 2014, despite the club returning to the Premier League, and he signed for Benfica.