English EFL Championship side QPR have announced the arrival of Ghanaian forward Kwame Poku, who has joined the club from Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old winger turned down numerous options to sign for the R’s, and he explained: “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.”
Poku spoke with new head coach Julien Stéphan ahead of putting pen to paper, and he admitted: “When I was speaking to him 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, I’m not quite young anymore so I want to come in and make my mark from the jump.”
Poku spent two years with Colchester United in League Two between 2019 and 2021, and he believes his time there, as well as his four years with the Posh, were crucial to his development.
“I think it was a journey that needed to happen to get me to this stage right now,” he said. “It was about being resilient and trying to be in a position where I can just showcase my talent every day and be the best version of myself.”
During his time with Peterborough, Kwame developed a reputation for being an exciting prospect and now he wants to take the next step in his development.
He has already amassed more than 220 professional appearances despite his young age, something he is rightly proud of.
“I think that’s a big part of my journey, being so young and playing a lot of games,” he said.
“Going into this level, it’s just about learning about this level, getting used to it and then expressing myself.”
The Ghana international made 20 Championship appearances for Peterborough in 2019/20 so he knows what to expect – but he is demanding more from himself four years on.
“I think I had some good performances, good on the ball, I just think what separated then from now was the statistical side of it,” he said.
“Coming into this team where there’s a lot of good attacking players and good all-rounded players as well, I think I’ll create more chances, be at the end of a lot of chances and get more numbers.”
As he prepares for life with QPR, Poku added: “It’s a new experience and I’m looking forward to it.
“I just want to get as many numbers individually as possible, and with the team improve on where we were last season.
“That’s the main thing – carry on improving and see where it takes us.”
CEO Christian Nourry said: “Kwame is a player that the QPR recruitment department have been interested in for over four years.
“His decision to join the football club today in the face of interest from Europe-competing teams abroad and Championship teams with significantly bigger budgets than us is a fantastic validation of the direction we are moving in, including a specialised focus on individual player development.
“I wish Kwame all the very best success at QPR.”
