24/07/2025
Yet another reason to celebrate
๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ! ๐ฟ๐ฆ
Tylon Smith has completed a permanent move to QPR from South African side Stellenbosch FC for an undisclosed fee.
The 20-year-old defender comes to west London after an incredible rise over the past 12 months.
Smith only signed his first professional contract in October 2024, which came after he helped South Africa U20s lift the COSAFU U20 Challenge Cup earlier that month.
He was named Man of the Match following their 2-0 win in the final against Zambia, and was also included in the Team of the Tournament.
Building on that success, in May this year Smith helped his country again as they won the U20 Africa Cup of Nations.
His impressive impact on the competition saw him named Player of the Tournament.
This month, Smith was also nominated for the DStv Diski Challenge Player of the Season, which is the reserve league in South Africa.
โIโm very happy to be here,โ said a smiling Smith, who will initially integrate into the Development Squad.
โIโm really proud and grateful for the opportunity QPR have given me to showcase my talent.
โQPR is well-known for developing young players. The style of play here is similar to how we play in South Africa and itโs a style that I really like.โ
Describing himself as a player, Smith said: โI would say Iโm like a modern defender; composed, good on the ball but I also enjoy defending.โ
Reflecting on last yearโs U20 AFCON success, Smith admitted: โIt was incredible!
โScoring the winning goal in the semi-final against Nigeria was amazing and we made history by winning the final.
โIt was very special to win Player of the Tournament - itโs very rare for it to go to a defender, it usually goes to an attacking player, so that was amazing for me.โ
Looking to the future, Smith said: โMy main focus now is QPR. Iโm going to give my all for this club and hopefully together we can be successful.โ
CEO Christian Nourry said: โWe are happy to beat significant competition to land the services of Tylon today.
โHis raw attributes give him every opportunity to become a successful central defender and we are excited that the player feels, as we do, that we are best placed to develop and extract that potential from him.
โWe will take it step by step.โ
This transfer is subject to international clearance and visa approval.
