New Queens Park Rangers (QPR) defender Tylon Smith has expressed his joy at joining the English Championship side, saying he’s grateful for the opportunity.
The Stellenbosch FC academy graduate completed his move on Wednesday, as first reported by iDiski Times, following an impressive U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign with Amajita where he was named Player of the Tournament.
The 20-year-old became the first player from the PSL to move to England since Kagiso Dikgacio when he joined Fulham 16 years ago.
Smith told his new side’s media team how much the opportunity means to him and how much he wants to be part of the club’s success.
“I’m very happy to be here,” said Smith.
“I’m really proud and grateful for the opportunity QPR have given me to showcase my talent. QPR is well-known for developing young players.
“The style of play here is similar to how we play in South Africa and it’s a style that I really like. My main focus now is QPR.
“I’m going to give my all for this club and hopefully together we can be successful.”
Smith also reflected on his successful AFCON campaign with South Africa, who also qualified for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup.
“It was incredible,” added the youngster.
“Scoring the winning goal in the semi-final against Nigeria was amazing and we made history by winning the final.
“It was very special to win Player of the Tournament – it’s very rare for it to go to a defender, it usually goes to an attacking player, so that was amazing for me.”
Did you know that the iDiski Times Digital Newspaper is completely free! Download it now by clicking the button below or fill in the form to have it sent to you every week.
