Do not adjust your sets, QPR have completed the signing of 100-times South Korean international midfielder Park Ji-Sung from Manchester United.

Facts

Few benefitted from the explosion onto the world football scene of South Korea more than Ji-Sung Park. The joint hosts of the 2002 World Cup shocked everybody by making the last four in the competition that year, slaying mighty Italy along the way, and Park was one of the stars.

The South Korean manager Guus Hiddink went onto manager PSV Eindhoven in his homeland and immediately moved to secure the signature of Park from Japanese side Kyoto Purple Sanga with whom he’d been plying his trade since leaving the Myongji University team in his homeland. While there he helped the side to the first Emperor’s Cup triumph in its history.

Hiddink and Park helped Eindhoven to domestic league triumph in 2003 and 2005 and then reached the semi finals of the Champions League, which is no mean feat when you consider the overall standard of the Dutch league. Park scored in a 3-1 first leg win against AC Milan in that 2005 semi final but Eindhoven lost the away leg 2-0 and Milan advanced on away goals.

That all made Park something of a steal for Manchester United when they paid just £4m for him later that summer an d now he’s now a bargain all over again. Queens Park Rangers have signed Park on a two year deal for an undisclosed fee said to be around £2m upfront rising to £5m if clauses are met. Despite suffering with knee injuries at both United and Eindhoven that critics say have reduced his impact at the highest level, that’s still a hell of a deal for a player of this experience and quality.

While at Manchester United, Park won the Premier League four times in seven seasons, the League Cup on three occasions and the Champions League once. His impressive work rate and all round midfield play that made him a key man for Alex Ferguson in the biggest games. He’s arguably the most decorated player ever to pull on a QPR shirt.

Park featured at the 2006 World Cup, and captained his country at the 2010 tournament before retiring with 100 caps and 13 international goals to his name. In the South African tournament in 2010 he became the first South Korean to score in three consecutive World Cups when he bagged one in a 2-0 win against Greece. He leaves United after 203 appearances and 26 goals.

Reaction

We are delighted Ji is going to join us because his record speaks for itself. He has been a big player for Manchester United and played a big part in their success in recent years. He is hugely respected there because of what he has achieved, his application to his work and the impact he has on games. He was always picked for the big matches because they could rely on him, and we are going to reap all those qualities.” - Mark Hughes

I am joining a club that is very much on an upwards curve - a club that has a very bright future. The infrastructure is in place, with a new training ground and plans for a new stadium, for us to achieve in the short and long term. The manager has a proven track record at Premier League level and I am looking forward to working with him and the rest of the squad to help take this club to the next level." - Park Ji Sung

“I'm overjoyed and can't wait to see him in a QPR shirt. I am the ultimate dreamer and myself and Mark have worked incredibly hard to make this happen. Ji has bought into the story and we couldn't be more delighted. What started as a little idea is now a reality and it shows that people are beginning to buy into our story. It shows out determination and our ambition to build this club. Ji is a global star, with a Champions League winner's medal to his name, and he is as excited about this move as we all are." - Tony Fernandes

Top signing. A great player entrusted on the biggest stage by Ferguson. Brings in millions in revenue so virtually pays for himself. Great team and work ethic, can play a bit and scores goals. -Fakerby

Leaving aside the commercial side of things, which may be an important aspect of this signing, Park seemed to be in rapid decline last season. The way I saw it Man Utd were struggling in midfield so they had to use him. I will be more than happy to be proved wrong but in my opinion Park would not be leaving Man Utd if there was any prospect of him getting frequent starts. As a player he was all about energy and workrate, if that is going frankly there isn't a lot to be excited about. - Spaghetti Hoops

Great signing in my view. Whenever I've seen him I've always been impressed by his attitude (first class) and ability. Often overshadowed by higher profile team mates but great experience and I think will be a tremendous acquisition. If it is a bit of an indulgence for TF for the Far East market then it is a pretty good way to do it. -YorkRanger

Opinion

Oh for the sweet and innocent times when football clubs signed football players because the football manager liked how they played football.

This particular signing has been coming for some time because with every passing player acquisition at QPR the scepticism and questions have grown louder; just how can a club with an 18,000 seater stadium afford all of this?

With Tony Fernandes and Amit Bhatia on the board QPR can afford pretty much whatever they like at the moment but fans of the Super Hoops have seen their club on the brink often enough to fear the good times as false dawns and brace for impact when things go awry. Some 80 miles south of QPR’s League One standard stadium stands Fratton Park, an actual second tier stadium this season following the complete and utter collapse of the last club that spent money it didn’t have on players it couldn’t afford to compete in the Premiership only to pay a heavy price when the owner decided to stop bankrolling it all.

Those questions and concerns have been swatted aside time and again by Fernandes, Bhatia and CEO Philip Beard who say they have a short, medium and long term plan for the club to become sustainable. In the medium and long term the plan is for an academy that actually produces players above the Conference standard QPR manage at the moment, and a stadium that serves as an asset rather than a millstone. Short term Phil Beard has been championing commercial revenue opportunities as the first step towards self sufficiency with a knowing smile on his face.

Enter stage right, Ji-Sung Park. You only have to look at the flood of Korean followers seeking out the official QPR feed today, or commenting during the live broadcast of this afternoon’s press conference that had 40,000 viewers when I listened in and more than 100,000 unique users overall, to see there’s more to this signing than simply what he can do on the football pitch.

The less well travelled probably have no idea quite how big the Premier League is around the world. I suspect the next round of negotiations over foreign broadcaster rights – due next year, making it crucial QPR stay in the division this season – will really bring that home to everybody. Reports back from my younger brother – currently gap yahing it around first Asia and South America – have been a real eye opener. He saw every QPR match last season on television, despite being out of the UK since Newcastle away, and just one year into Tony Fernandes’ ownership he tells me QPR replica tops are already prevalent in the Far East. Just imagine that for a second; eight years ago we were losing at Grimsby Town.

Ji-Sung Park is the Asian shirt seller supreme. He has 100 caps for South Korea, he played in the team that finished fourth at the 2002 World Cup on home soil in front of the massed ranks of home support all clad in identical red replica tops, and for the last seven seasons he’s been part of Asia’s favourite Manchester United team. I walked past our little club shop the other day and smiled to myself; things are about to change at our club big time.

The problem with such signings has often been the quality of the player. We know, having suffered at the hands of Zesh Rehman, that there is frequently an elephant in the room when discussing breakthroughs into English football by players who originate from countries not normally associated with the sport i.e. they may sell a lot of shirts but they’re absolute crap. Arsenal, and later Fulham, were stung with Japanese midfielder Junichi Inamoto who immediately boosted the clubs’ profiles in the Far East but rarely made it onto the actual field of play due to lack of ability. Undeterred, last summer Arsenal brought in Park Chu-Young from Monaco who managed one substitute appearance in the league and four starts in cup competitions in his first season. He’s probably already paid for himself in merchandise sales though. This is the modern game, and the modern Premier League, and frankly it does my bloody head in.

Luckily, QPR have pulled off something of a masterstroke with this signing. Not only do they have somebody who will build – here’s that dreaded word again – the brand in the Far East, but they’ve also brought in a player who will improve their midfield tenfold. Park Ji-Sung has been Alex Ferguson’s go-to guy for his biggest fixtures for the last seven years, boasting an incredible work rate and versatility that has made him invaluable to this country’s best team for a very long period of time. He’s 31 now, and his engine isn’t quite what it used to be, but a diminishing role and impact on last season’s runners up does not make him any less of a superb signing for the club that finished seventeenth in the Premier League.

On the field this is a superb signing. Off the field, whether you love and embrace all this “brand” bullshit that clubs trot out these days or not, it’s hard to deny it’s inspired. Congratulations to all involved, this one looks like a brilliant bit of business, a real statement of intent and, at a fee of £2m rising to £5m, an absolute steal.

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Pictures – Action Images

Photo: Action Images

devonranger added 19:46 - Jul 9 AN ABSOLUTE STEAL, spot on! I think he will be played more central for us,is the writing on the wall for derry now?
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devonranger added 19:50 - Jul 9 AN ABSOLUTE STEAL, spot on! I think he will be played more central for us,is the writing on the wall for derry now?
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dazhoopa added 20:06 - Jul 9 wow, little old qpr are turning a page in thier history.at the moment it looks like just a great signing on and off the field of play but this could be the catilyst for much greater things.onward and upwards.
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OxheyR added 20:16 - Jul 9 Can't remember being this excited about QPR and we're in mid July, hurry up start of the season! Super signing.
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Epik added 20:47 - Jul 9 Massively underrated. He was used as a workhorse at United, which is why I don't think he ever fulfilled his potential there. He could go out with a serious bang if used offensively at QPR. If you look at how he started his career under Hiddink and the sorts of goals he got for Korea and PSV, that's where he would've been best in my opinion. He is capable of creativity and technical touches but when his job is to run and close down the dangermen all game it's exhausting and your technique suffers. I expect him to surprise even his own fans with his performances for QPR.

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JB007007 added 21:24 - Jul 9 As we've had Man Utd rammed at us on the TV for so many years, from what I 've seen of him, he looks to be a quality signing and makes great commercial sense for what the club wants to achieve "brand" wise. We have some good options in midfield and Ji-Sung Park has just improved them again. Everything is very positive at the club right now with all the signings, new training ground and stadium talk so I dont want to put any dampener on it, but I hope this is a Mark Hughes target and signing.

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MackemR added 21:27 - Jul 9 I agree, a great signing and probably gives us breathing space to send Mr Angry out on loan and time for Ale Faurlin to get back up to speed. Heady times indeed and such a turnaround from the last few years. I am very thankful. However, I worry that there will be a price to pay - what are the odds the new stadium will be called the Air Asia Arena?
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GetMeRangers added 22:29 - Jul 9 @JB007007 Hope he is MH target and signing too, but cant see why he wouldn't. If there was 'inspiration for him' form TF and AB then it might have been, go and get us a quality Asian player. Even if that was the case, I cant help feeling excited to the bone over this signing. Whatever his deal is and his comments " its not for the money" (and I do actually believe this, as we can give him game time towards his twilight years), its for the continued use by players coing in that they are buying into the TF/AB/PB dream. Whether the R's can achieve anything is another matter, but in the meantime we seem to be able to suck in players that we could only have dreamed of 24 months ago - Tarbs and Ali excluded!

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WokingR added 22:39 - Jul 9 Who cares what they call it. They can call it Tony and Amit's if they like for what they have done for our club
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isawqpratwcity added 23:53 - Jul 9 Thumbs up on this one! In the absence of any inherent injury, I don't think 31 is old for a good mid-fielder. Lose a bit of pace, but the footballing nous makes all the difference. As the punchline goes: 'the older, wiser bull said, "Why don't we walk there instead and shag all of them?" ' Brilliant signing.
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TacticalR added 00:49 - Jul 10 The Park Chu-Young saga at Arsenal is a warning against buying Asian players just to 'build the brand'. The fans who attend matches end up detesting such players (think Rob Hulse plus shirt sales), and their careers stall. However, Park Ji-Sung is an experienced Premiership player, so despite all the hooha (or is it hoopla?), definitely not simply in the 'brand building' category. One thing that I am surprised nobody has mentioned, is how few Premiership matches Park has played. In the seven years he has been at United he has played on average, only 19 Premiership games per season, and last season managed only 15 Premiership games. I think Spaghetti Hoops is right to sound a note of caution. I haven't seen much of United, but I was under the impression that he had run out of steam. The question is 'can he do a job for us?' It will be interesting to see how he is used at QPR. If Hughes follows the same pattern as Ferguson, Park might only be used as an away player, or a home player, or a big game player. Ferguson said he valued Park's tactical discipline, and that's something we could have done with last season in all those matches where players lost their heads and got sent off.

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Spaghetti_Hoops added 08:40 - Jul 10 Apologies for adding to the doubts but... My earlier comments were based on what I saw and thought of Park in the second half of last season. With so many people thinking Park is a great signing I delved a bit deeper. Park played in only one of United's final ten matches. In the key loss to Man City. The BBC's comment was "Park's contribution had been minimal and it was no surprise when he was the first player sacrificed by Ferguson before the hour, as he chose to give United more offensive options by introducing Welbeck". Park didn't play in the other nine games but was an unused substitute seven times. This during that vital part of the season which included the loss to Wigan and that 4-4 draw with Everton. Not a time to be leaving a useful player on the bench. The idea that Park was still Ferguson's 'go-to' player is sadly a very long way from the truth. I think Park is with us to sell shirts and to promote the brand in Asia. If he contributes a great deal to us on the pitch that will be a bonus. I wouldn't be raising your hopes.

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francisbowles added 09:57 - Jul 10 Not much of a risk is it? £2mil, more if we stay up etc. Huge increase in revenue, multiplied if we stay up, massive increase in Queens Park Rangers presence in world football. Very talented, honest, experienced and disciplined footballer who seems to have more common sense than most. Probably still better than most players we have. Only negatives are he may be a little past his best and his injury record. The big question is how much can we get out of him on the pitch? The rest speaks for itself

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Gilligan added 10:52 - Jul 10 What is his best position? I thought it was left wing which doesn't bode well for Adel. I think Park will be a good signing but I love watching Taarabt play and I love his song too. Michael Cox from Zonal Marking on Park: Park has established himself as a ‘big game’ player for United, and Ferguson has long favoured the Korean international for tricky away trips and Champions League games. It may be a cliché, but Park’s best quality is his defensive ability – his work rate is combined with an ability to track, tackle and intercept. That’s only half the reason he’s favoured in games where United see less of the ball, though. Park is also fantastic at playing on the counter-attack, not just for his pace and energy, but because he uses the ball so well at transitions between defence and attack. Remember Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal on the break at the Emirates in 2009, or Wayne Rooney’s similar strike at the same stadium at the start of 2010 – Park was involved at the start of both moves, playing the ball forward intelligently into space when another player might have hoofed it clear.

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R_in_Sweden added 10:53 - Jul 10 Amazing how things have turned around in the last few years or even last year where we were pinning the our hopes on the Barton signing. Seems weird to be talking about Rangers as a potential global brand but just reading about the massive increase in visitors to the R's website (unfortunately the official one) you realise part of the reason why this deal was done. This is an exciting signing, hope that Park still has it and can't wait for the season to start. There's a song about Park that relates to certain culinary habits in South Korea where the words "he scores" and "labradors" are rhymed. Will leave you all to fill in the blanks of this politically incorrect number.

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Spiritof67 added 11:46 - Jul 10 R in Sweden, so the song is not "PARK" life by Blur then!!
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QPunkR added 12:15 - Jul 10 Thing it'd be fine to hear the whole Loft sing when he comes on, altogether now Allllllll the people, so many people!!.....
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QPunkR added 12:15 - Jul 10 Thing it'd be fine to hear the whole Loft sing when he comes on, altogether now Allllllll the people, so many people!!.....
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Northernr added 12:32 - Jul 10 I think the fact he was picked to start at City three games before the end of the season shows he was still his go-to guy for the big games. He's not any more, which is why they've sold him to us, but to say it's a "long way from the truth" when he was picked to start the title decider three matches ago is stretching things a bit Spaghetti.
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CroydonCaptJack added 13:51 - Jul 10 At this stage of our development it is a great signing both on and off the pitch. If he was still in SAF plans we wouldn't have been able to secure him. Perspective needed methinks.
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R_in_Sweden added 14:51 - Jul 10 Spiritof67 and QPunkR Blur singer Damon Albarn is a season ticket holder at another West London club, despite being a non-meat eater, I think I'd prefer the labrador song.
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swissqpr added 16:23 - Jul 10 Much hype for a player.I don't believe the people in Thailand,Japan,China and Malaysia are very interested in Park.And i guess the Koreans will also disappear with him after 2 years.As a player he is for 2 mill. a bargain but to pay 2 more if we don't get relegated is a PR Gag.I'm sure we will not relegated also without Park,so the fee is actually 4 mill.For a 31 year old player for a 2 year contract is much money.

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derbyhoop added 09:59 - Jul 11 He's not the player he was, otherwise Ferguson wouldn't be letting him leave. Even so, for 5 years, he was SAF's go to player for all the big European games. He has bags of Premiership experience and, at 31, is 3 years younger than the player he is likely to replace, Sean Derry. He has more quality so it represents another improvement. A 2 year deal seems right for a player who may not last much longer and the initial £2m fee seems in the right ballpark. The possible £5m I would balk at, but that usually involves a collection of circumstances so unlikely that you have a better chance of seeing Lord Lucan riding the winner of the Grand National. As Clive said, in the article, the additional merchandising in his home country could well cover his fee.

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Cornish_oooRRRR added 16:01 - Jul 11 Great signing. Will still run rings around many of our opposition's midfield
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Myke added 23:33 - Jul 11 I'm with Spagetti on this one. Utd only sell players when they are not only past their best for Utd but past their prem best in general (O Shea and Brown for eg at Sunderland). He will displace Mackie in the team - not a good thing. Make no mistake about it this 'marquee' signing is all about shirts. Thats fair enough - it's Fernandes club aand he's perfectly entitled to make some money out of it. Park won't improve the team, he won't disinprove either in the short term - but if his arrival sees Mackie depart then he certainly won't do us any favours long term. Hughes 4th over 30's signing this summer in a squad that was already one of the oldest in the prem

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