Queens Park Rangers star Kenneth Paal has revealed he was actually close to a move to Poland before ending up at the Kiyan Prince Foundation stadium.
Paal joined the R’s on a free transfer from PEC Zwolle in the summer after three years with the Dutch side following a move from PSV Eindhoven.
He had been with the Eredivisie giants from a young age, initially joining them from NEC Youth in 2010 and rising his way through the ranks un to the first team setup in 2017.
He would only make six appearances for them and instead left for Zwolle in a €350,000 deal in 2019 after an initial loan spell at the club the year before.
He then elected to leave for QPR in the summer, his first foray outside of the Netherlands, but has admitted he could have ended up somewhere else entirely.
“Five days before I was due to sign there (Poland), QPR came,” he told Voetbal Zone.
The move has so far proven to be a smart one for the 25-year-old, who has been a mainstay in QPR’s team this season.
He has featured for them 29 times in the Championship so far, featuring in 92% of the available minutes in the league and the starting 11 94% of the time.
The hope is that he can further establish himself at QPR moving forwards and help them climb the table, with them currently in 16th place in the table.
They’re actually closer to the promotion places than the relegation zone, though, and while promotion is a longshot, Paal admits he does have his eyes on the Premier League.
“My goal is actually to play one level higher, in the Premier League,” he added.
“That’s the league I always wanted to play in as a kid. I also definitely think it’s an achievable goal with my qualities.
“I want to play in at least one of the five top European leagues, that would be a dream. I still have plenty of ambitions and work hard every day to develop myself.”
