Kwame Poku has expressed his sadness and gratitude to Peterborough United after departing the club after four years.
The 23-year-old joined Posh from Colchester United in 2021. Over the next few seasons, he emerged as the crown jewel in Darren Ferguson’s squad, with his expiring deal attracting a host of interest from both home and abroad over the past few months.
After contributing 30 goals and 30 assists in 147 appearances, the winger appeared on the radar of the majority of Championship clubs as well as Scottish giants Rangers. The race was eventually won by Queens Park Rangers, who announced his signing at the weekend for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £900,000.
Poku Issues Heartfelt Goodbye
Leaving to club with two EFL Trophy triumphs to his name, Poku is a player who is expected to have a big future in the game. Speaking to official club media, he reflected on his time at the Weston Homes Stadium:
“The time has flown by. It’s been a roller coaster with good and bad, and ups and downs, but it’s ended on a high for me. I have so many great memories of playing for Peterborough alongside some great players and I have managed to improve as a player so I will never forget this part of the journey.
“Peterborough were the first club to show serious interest in me after my first and second seasons at Colchester and I was confident it would be the right club for me. I spoke to Sammie Szmodics who had been at Colchester and he said only positive things about the club
“I was aware of the quality of player at the club when I arrived. They had just won promotion to the Championship so I had to be patient and make sure I performed well in the under 21s and from the substitutes bench.
“It could be frustrating playing as a forward that season, but by the end of it I was starting games regularly and it gave me the confidence to believe I could play at that level.
“Darren Ferguson was good for me. There is a lot of structure to the way he wants his players to play which helped my game. I could also play with freedom which I liked to add to my game. He wanted us to be reliable on the ball, but he also wanted us to play to our strengths and I enjoyed trying to create things out of nothing and adding goals and assists.
“I made a conscious effort to add goals and assists, but I also knew as a forward you sometimes play amazing and don’t create or score. I didn’t want the goals and assist numbers to put too much pressure on myself. We did create plenty of memories together though.
“There was the hat-trick against Cambridge United last season and the 5-0 the year before when I scored twice. There was the two Wembley wins with the second one better in terms of atmosphere and who we beat as we were big underdogs. The first one was good of course, but we had a lot of focus on the league that season so we couldn’t celebrate for as long!
“There are other matches which might not seem that special to some fans though. I scored my first goal for the club at MK Dons and there was a game at home to Port Vale that we won 2-0 or 3-0 when I really got the confidence to kick on.
“It’s emotional to be leaving, but I will never forget this club. I will always be grateful.”
Writer’s View
Kwame Poku has been a big hit at Peterborough since breaking into the first team. He particularly shone following their relegation to League One in 2022 and fully deserves his move to the Championship. However, QPR is somewhat of a surprise as it is unlikely that they will be challenging for a place in the Premier League anytime soon. Still, he is likely to be a regular starter at Loftus Road, which could inflate his price further and be a major source of income for the Hoops in future years.
