Relieved Leon Balogun admits it was a "long summer" waiting on the right club to join after leaving Rangers. But he's delighted his patience is now paying off as he plays a starring role under Michael Beale at QPR.
Balogun was an important player under Gio van Bronckhorst last season but injuries meant he lost his starting spot towards the end of the season and he was on the bench for the Europa League final in Seville. He was on record saying he wanted to sign a new contract at Ibrox, but the decision was taken to let him go with John Souttar and Ben Davies recruited as part of a defensive shakeup.
The Nigerian was spotted in the stands earlier in the season as he stayed in Glasgow following his release and failed to immediately find a new club. There were some calls for van Bronckhorst to re-sign him, but eventually it was Steven Gerrard's former No.2, Beale, who brought him into QPR.
Since then the 34-year-old has been a mainstay of the current English Championship table-toppers and scored the winning goal against Wigan to keep their place at the summit. And while he admits it was a "long summer" after leaving Rangers, he's delighted to have found another home in West London.
He told West London Sport: “It was a long summer but I was much more relaxed than I was last year, having achieved a few things last season. I was just waiting for the right thing to come through. I stayed up in Glasgow the whole time just trying to stay fit and not to lose my mind, but it was very, very challenging. I can’t lie.
“That’s the game nowadays. They see a certain number, which is the age, and they are like ‘nah’.
“That’s what I had to deal with loads in the beginning, which obviously made it even more challenging because I know what I’m still capable of. It was just a matter of who is out there that believes in it?
“When QPR really had a go at me, I was like ‘right, let’s get this over the line. Let me reunite with Mick and see if we can be as successful as possible’.”
While Gerrard's career has hit the skids since leaving Ibrox, his former right-hand man Beale has blossomed. After he broke off on his own, Aston Villa went into a tailspin that led to Gerrard's sacking, while Beale has thrived as a manager in his own right and he rejected an offer to manage Wolves.
And Balogun said he and his teammates were delighted to learn he had stuck to his guns after watching them trounce Cardiff 3-0 last week. He said: "When Mick came in and said he's not going anywhere, it was great. He said we had seduced him with the performance so we've done our bit to convince him. He's got great integrity and great values, he just supported us with that act."
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