Peterborough United defender Josh Knight has seen his prospective transfer to Championship side QPR collapse at the final hurdle, as reported by The Athletic.
The deal to sell the defender in a move that would have seen him link up with former boss Gareth Ainsworth at Loftus Road fell through at the last minute, with the Championship club pulling the plug at the last minute. The reasoning for the club pulling out of the deal is unknown, with a fee agreed between the two clubs, reported by The Athletic to be around £300,000.
The 25-year-old had agreed to a three-year deal in West London with his former boss at Wycombe Wanderers. The plan was believed to be for Knight to be utilised as a central defender and midfielder, with the move thought to be so advanced he had already said his goodbyes to players and staff at Peterborough.
Knight linked up with Ainsworth in a year-long loan spell at Wycombe in the Championship from then parent club Leicester City. In that 2020/21 season, Knight featured 37 times and scored once for the club. His performances saw him awarded the club’s Player of the Season.
Following that season spent on loan with Wycombe, Knight would join Posh permanently in July 2021 from Leicester. He would make 78 appearances in his second stint with the club, his first being a loan spell from the Foxes, taking him to 112 appearances in total for Peterborough.
The defender was one of the key players in the squad transfer listed at the end of last season after the club’s collapse in the playoff semi-finals to Sheffield Wednesday. Other names surprised fans among those transfer listed by the club, with star striker Jonson Clarke-Harris also on that list.
Writer’s View
With the deal set to be completed, it is a surprise to see it fall through at the last second, especially with Knight also seeming sure about the transfer being a done deal. QPR do have a number of other targets on their radar, so it could be they have decided to move ahead with another of those instead, such as Steve Cook of Nottingham Forest. It could also perhaps be a case of the club deciding to wait until next summer when Knight’s contract at Peterborough expires.
