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Republic of Congo international, Chris Samba joined Queens Park Rangers on Transfer Deadline Day on a four-and-a-half year deal, keeping him at the club until 2017.
The deal comes as a surprise as he has only recently moved camps to Russia, where he played for Anzhi Makhachkala who boast some of the best finances in Russian football. With the loss of influential centre back Ryan Nelson, who has traveled to Toronto to pursue a career in coaching, I see this move as a massive coup for struggling QPR, who were left a big hole for to fill. And fill it, they have.
They’ve not only signed a robust centre back, but also a true leader on the pitch.
However, he wasn’t cheap and it has to be argued that there are other centre backs in the market, who are equally as good as Christopher Samba, for a more diminutive price-tag. It has been reported that he has signed a deal worth £100,000-a-week, which is truly staggering. I’d imagine that’s more than Danny Welbeck, Ashley Young, Joe Allen and maybe even Daniel Sturridge; it’s that’s hefty a salary.
On top of that, he cost owner Tony Fernandez, whose current position is in jeopardy, £12.5 million. A QPR transfer record. For that price I’m sure manager Harry Redknapp expects some top-class performances to get their season back on track with consistent results.
His short spell at Anzi didn’t go quite as plan, as he was scrutinised for only playing there for the money and that understandably frustrated him. He was then unfortunately at the centre of a racism row, which he was rightly saddened by. That was the limit for Samba, and I’m sure he can’t wait to get underway with QPR, despite their poor league position.
This signing will certainly bolster his side and help them as their league performances of late have been slowly improving. There’s still work to do, but Samba is reliable, and Redknapp must have confidence in him, which he undoubtedly will do.
Redknapp said about Chris Samba, “Chris is just what we need; he’s great in the air, quick, a leader, strong, fantastic in both boxes. A proper centre-half.”
If Samba can mirror his form for Blackburn Rovers, for whom he was club captain, then QPR have a chance to stay up. Is it too late? I wouldn’t rule them out of contention.
