Hughes believes failed QPR attempt to sign Zouma helped Stoke land defender

Mark Hughes believes a failed attempt to sign Kurt Zouma for QPR five years ago helped him recently secure a season-long loan deal for the Chelsea defender.

The Stoke boss has snapped up Zouma, having previously tried to sign him during Hughes’ ill-fated spell as R’s manager, when a number of clubs wanted to buy the Frenchman from St Etienne.

Zouma eventually opted for a move to Stamford Bridge and Hughes feels his previous contact with him helped Stoke beat off competition from other clubs to sign him.

“When you’ve had contact with players before – and I came close to signing him at a previous club when he was only 16 or 17 – sometimes that can help,” Hughes told The Sentinel.

“You can say, ‘I wanted you five years ago and now we’ve got an opportunity to get you to my club again and I want to do it.’ That resonates with players sometimes.”