Queens Park Rangers have confirmed the signing of Abdenasser El Khayati from Burton Albion. The Dutch-born wingers leaves the League One promotion contenders to once again link up with former manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at Loftus Road.
El Khayati, who turns 27 next week, has joined for an undisclosed fee after he was granted permission to speak to the Championship club over the weekend. He has been assigned the number 19 shirt with the R’s.
He has already enjoyed an impressive season with the Brewers in the league below, finding the back of the net on eight occasions from his usual wide position. He revealed his pride at joining QPR and signalled Hasselbaink as a major influence in his decision to sign,
“I am very happy to sign for QPR and work again with Jimmy.
“He has been a big help for me on and off the pitch during my time here in England. I have developed as a player with him and I am looking forward to continuing to improve at QPR.
“Hard work has got me to this stage in my career but I want to progress even further now.
“I found my way at Burton and I am confident I will find my way with QPR. I am more than confident that I can do it and with hard work, I believe I will have a positive impact here.
“I am excited about playing for QPR and can’t wait to show the supporters what I can do.”
Hasselbaink is also delighted to once again work with the former PSV Eindhoven youngster and believes he will have a big impact during his time with the club,
“I know him well and he’s a good character. He wants to work hard and wants to keep improving.
“He’s a very technical player – something totally different to what we have here. He likes to take people on and create.
“He’s a wide player, who can also play off the front if we need him to. He prefers to play from the left because he can go both ways – in or out.
“He is a player that the supporters will like. He’s from Moroccan origin, so he tries to play with that flair.”
El Khayati will be hoping to make his R’s debut this coming weekend, when coming up against Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich Town at Loftus Road.
