QPR winger Bright Osayi-Samuel has revealed how close he was to not signing with the west London club in 2017.
The 22-year-old joined the R's from Blackpool on August transfer deadline day three years ago and has made 84 appearances since.
The current campaign has been by far the most impressive of Osayi-Samuel's QPR career, with the winger establishing himself as one of the key attacking players in Mark Warburton's side.
He has featured 32 times in total so far this term – grabbing six goals and eight assists as the R's have become one of the most free-scoring sides in the division.
It appears that the 22-year-old's arrival three years ago nearly didn't happen and, speaking to the Independent, Osayi-Samuel revealed how tight the deal was.
He said: "There were 10 minutes left until the window shut.
“We were just waiting for Blackpool to sign the papers but suddenly they were ignoring all our calls. My agent called the manager, but there was nothing he could do, it was out of his control.
"I even started texting and calling the owner myself. When the window shut, I went back to my hotel room and I started praying. Nobody had any idea what was happening. I remember speaking to my mum, my agent trying to calm me down, I was so upset.”
He added: "I just remember sitting on that train, I was sad, I was angry.
"And then my agent called. He told me the paperwork had gone through. Still to this day I don’t know how it all happened so late. A few minutes later, Ian Holloway [then the manager of QPR] rang and told me how happy he was that I’d signed. I was so happy and relieved. I wanted the move so badly.”
Osayi-Samuel's performances for the R's have not gone unnoticed and back in January, there were reports of Premier League interest in the 22-year-old.
You'd imagine there will be more suitors when the transfer window opens this summer and, speaking last month, first-team coach Neil Banfield suggested it was likely QPR could lose some of their young stars in the future.
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The Verdict
Osayi-Samuel's insight into how close he was to not joining the club in 2017 is really interesting and provides a different perspective on transfer deadline day than fans usually get to see.
The QPR faithful will be very glad that the deal did get over the line as the 22-year-old has blossomed into one of their most important attacking players this season.
They will be hoping he is still wearing an R's shirt next season but it is going to be very interesting to see what the summer transfer window holds for him.