Mbia becomes QPR's 12th summer signing
Reuters - Friday 31 August 2012, 23:13
Queens Park Rangers signed
defender Stephane Mbia from Olympique Marseille, just minutes
before the transfer window closed, for an undisclosed fee on
Friday.
Rangers midfielder Joey Barton, the former England
international, travelled in the opposition direction to join the
French club on a season-long loan deal.
Defender Mbia, 26, who can also play in midfield, is QPR's
12th signing since the end of last season. He has agreed a
two-year deal.
Mbia, capped 36 times by Cameroon, played 103 games for
Marseille in three years at the club.
"Stephane is a very good player and can play in a number of
positions," Rangers manager Mark Hughes told the club's website.
"He is very adept as a defensive midfielder but he has been
regularly playing at centre-back so we have got another player
who can add to the flexibility of the squad.
"He is a big, strong guy with a strong mentality. He wants
to win and is the type of player I want at the club."
Mbia said he was delighted with the transfer.
"It was an easy decision because this is an important move
for my career," he explained. "It has always been a dream of
mine to play in the Premier League which I believe is the best
league in the world.
"The ambitions of the club and what the board of directors
and the manager want to achieve here excites me greatly."