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Christopher Samba: QPR sign Anzhi defender for £12.5m

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Archive : Samba scores for Blackburn

Christopher Samba has completed a £12.5m move to QPR from Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.

The ex-Blackburn defender, 28, has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal and it is understood he will receive £100,000-a-week, including bonuses and add-ons.

"This is an unbelievable signing," manager Harry Redknapp told the QPR website.external-link

"Chris is just what we need. He's a monster."

Despite Samba's reported six-figure weekly wage, Redknapp said the player had taken a "massive pay cut" to move to the Premier League's bottom club,

"I've tried to sign him loads of times," added the Hoops boss on the club's official weekly phone-in show 'London Call-In'. "He was willing to take a massive pay cut because I don't think he was enjoying it over there.

"He's great in the air, quick, a leader, strong, fantastic in both boxes, hard as nails. He's a proper centre-half.

"Tony Fernandes (the chairman) deserves a lot of credit for this one - he has worked so hard on bringing him in.

"I was speaking with him a month ago and he asked me who I would want to sign if Ryan Nelsen left, he asked me to give him a couple of names.

"I said to him, 'Well, these aren't possible to get but if you're asking me who I'd have, I'll give you a couple of players'. One of them was Chris Samba.

"The next thing I know he's telling me that he's working on bringing him in! It's amazing."

Anzhi head coach Guus Hiddink admitted he was disappointed to lose Samba.

"It's not a very good situation," Hiddink told Russian newspaper Sport Express.

"Samba was with us during this season, began preparations for the winter training camps and suddenly this opportunity arose with an English club. Yesterday [Tuesday] he left for England. Unfortunately, we didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to him. Everything has developed very quickly."

Samba left England in February 2012 when Anzhi agreed to pay Blackburn £12m, amid interest from Tottenham, Redknapp's former club.

With Nelsen leaving Loftus Road to manage Toronto FC, and Anton Ferdinand moving to Turkish club Bursaspor on loan, QPR have been desperate to sign an authoritative central defender with Premier League experience.

Redknapp said plans to sign Stoke striker Peter Crouch had fallen through.

"I've signed Crouchy so many times and he's had a great career but [Potters boss] Tony Pulis decided in the end not to let him go," he said.

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326 comments

  • Comment posted by U15496182, at 10:33 31 Jan 2013

    Harry said about one month ago and I quote: "There are a lot of players at this club who earn far too much money" and "You shouldn't be paying massive wages when you've got a stadium that holds 18,000 people". How very interesting Harry! It seems like you are the one that is "taking the owners pants down", doesn't it. Ridiculous hypocrite.

  • Comment posted by U15160941, at 10:58 31 Jan 2013

    A step closer to administration. The Redknapp way

  • Comment posted by deleted, at 10:22 31 Jan 2013

    'arry's off playing 'Championship Manager' again I see. Which is probably not a bad thing as that's what he's going to be next year.

  • Comment posted by saint nick, at 10:13 31 Jan 2013

    Doubtless if QPR avoid relegation 'Arry will be lauded by his mates in the media for another piece of Houdini-like escapology. Spend £30m on players (assuming Crouch) and you probably get a better team, wow what a genius. What were those quotes from a couple of months back about not wanting to spend the owners money? 100k/w, not to mention 80k/w for Remy….
    And yes I am a bitter Saints fan.

  • Comment posted by U14882820, at 10:47 31 Jan 2013

    HAHAHA, can Harry be any more a hypocrite, to quote the ego himself “You shouldn’t be paying huge wages when you have a stadium that holds 18,000 people.”-100k a week and 12.5m for Samba is probably worst value transfer in history, bring on the bankruptcy, let alone trying to pay big money for Crouch who he SOLD as didn't rate him. He has no conscience about the mess he leaves behind, joke!

  • Comment posted by U15059924, at 10:31 31 Jan 2013

    Looks like Rednapp is out to 'Portsmouth' QPR. If they go down then administration may not be long behind.

  • Comment posted by elcamino, at 10:52 31 Jan 2013

    He Needs more French guys like Joey Barton.

  • Comment posted by U15591158, at 10:43 31 Jan 2013

    "Triffic boy , I watched him fifteen times when I was at Spurs/Pompey/Saints... blah blah.".....The press salivate as Arry works the crowd.......

  • Comment posted by U15384677, at 10:15 31 Jan 2013

    it's all about the money isn't it, sorry but who would want to come to qpr otherwise in there current plight esp as Samba sighted wanting champions lg/european football when leaving blackburn?? also nice to see the hypocrite market trader not worrying about the reputed high wages, wonder what Rosie's cut is

  • Comment posted by Ruben James, at 11:01 31 Jan 2013

    Love the photo of Samba in his B&W shirt.
    This guy will not let you QPR supporters down(on the pitch anyhow !)
    Good luck Samba in the quest to stave off relegation.
    Arte et labore

  • Comment posted by U15590831, at 10:42 31 Jan 2013

    'onest 'arry on another money purge. Some things never change. He is a WAG who could bankrupt even Sheik Mansour given half the chance.

  • Comment posted by Jesus the Teddy Bear, at 10:33 31 Jan 2013

    Was it not just last week that he was harping on about not spending a fortune and the vast wages some of the players are on ?

    100k a week (plus Rosie148's cut of course)

    staggering.

  • Comment posted by Ed, at 10:33 31 Jan 2013

    What the hell was thatspeech about three weeks ago regarding not wasting the chairmans money because QPR are doomed and are bleeding too much money. Also, Arry didn't even want Taarabt at spurs and sold him for peanuts, then when he has a good performance, suddenly we are lead to believe his hand was forced. I am sure he will spend a small fortune and be held as some sort of messiah by the media

  • Comment posted by U11824256, at 10:27 31 Jan 2013

    @15

    Its entirely Rednapps fault, he is the so called 'expert' in this scenario.

    Harry: Here is a list of players we need at least 5 of to stay up and avoid relegation and sending the club into financial meltdown.

    Chairman: Christ, really we need those 5 players?

    Harry: Yeah deffo, they are all tricffic lads and you dont want us getting relegated do you.

    Chairman: No way, sign em on

  • Comment posted by U15591158, at 10:54 31 Jan 2013

    .......Just the other day I was talkin about 'ow I watched Messi before Barca even knew the boy existed ....triffic boy I said ,we should go for him Tony ....300 million and 500k a wek aint much me old son .......
    The press shower 'Arry in red roses at news of this revelation.......what a wheeler dealer they all say....

  • Comment posted by U14368155, at 10:39 31 Jan 2013

    If QPR go down with the talent they already have plus the fortune Redknapp has now spent, then maybe the dwindling few who still buy into this self-promoting juggernaut will finally see the truth. People talk about foreign ownership damaging English football - they should look a little closer to home.

  • Comment posted by TheHarold, at 11:35 31 Jan 2013

    Hey, my name's Harry,
    And this is crazy,
    But it's not my money,
    So here's £100k a week baby!

  • Comment posted by U14595168, at 10:33 31 Jan 2013

    the redknapp school of club management trundles on,try and buy your way out of trouble and bankrupt the club in the process,it's like deja vu

  • Comment posted by theteabag, at 10:31 31 Jan 2013

    Staggering sums of cash for a fairly average defender, in my opinion. Yes he's big and strong but not mobile at all and very, very slow.

    Wes Morgan at Leicester would strike me as a better option all round.

    I look forward to Financial Fair Play being introduced to Championship clubs from next season.

    If Fernandes gets bored or sells the club to a bad apple this will be the end of QPR.

  • Comment posted by Y0U, at 22:06 31 Jan 2013

    Only reason Odemwingie would want to move is because he's seen how much Samba would get and decided he wants it regardless of the huge step backwards in his career. GG WBA.

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