The American has put pen-to-paper on a long-term contract at Loftus Road and has had some positive words to share about his new manager
The transfer window may be closed, but Queens Park Rangers may have just picked up a gem of a signing from the free agents market.
Out of contract players can of course be picked up at any point of the season, and despite being linked with a lot of clubs over the course of the summer, USA international defender Reggie Cannon has arrived at the Hoops.
The 25-year-old, who has been capped 28 times for his home country, has spent the last three years in Portugal with Boavista, but after a claim made that he was owed wages, Cannon departed the Primeira Liga outfit.
In the final stages of the transfer window, many English sides were linked with a move for Cannon, including Stoke City, Birmingham, Burnley and West Brom, but he has waited a few more weeks and arrived in West London with the R’s.
R’s head coach Gareth Ainsworth has seemingly confirmed the fact that multiple clubs were in for Cannon as he expressed his delight at getting a deal done.
“I am really, really pleased to get this over the line,” Ainsworth said, per the QPR official website.
“We have fought off clubs to get him and I believe Reggie will become a big asset for us.
“He can play on the right side of midfield as a wing-back, he can play as a right-sided centre-back, so he is going to add real competition for places which is what we need.
“With him being without a club over the summer he is going to need a bit of time to get up to speed but I know he is raring to get going with us.”
What has Reggie Cannon said about Gareth Ainsworth after QPR move?
Despite being somewhat of an acquired taste, QPR boss Ainsworth was seemingly a contributing factor in Cannon’s decision to move to Loftus Road, with the American heaping praise on the 50-year-old.
“He told me what he thinks my potential is,” Cannon said when speaking to QPR’s official website.
“He knows my strengths and weaknesses, he read me inside and out, and he really gave me confidence with what he said.
“I love those types of people because I feel they can get the best out of me as a person and more so as a player. I really feel he knows what makes players tick.”
Where will Reggie Cannon fit in at QPR?
With Ainsworth seemingly sticking to a back three formation, as opposed to the 4-2-3-1 system that he tended to use a lot when at Wycombe Wanderers, Cannon has two options on where he may fit into the starting 11.
Most likely, having alternated between being used as a right-back and a right-sided defender in a back three at Boavista, Cannon will assume the latter role and become part of the three-man defensive unit alongside Steve Cook and Morgan Fox, with Jake Clarke-Salter and Jimmy Dunne other options when the latter is fit after his shoulder injury.
Cannon could however play as a wing-back, with Paul Smyth currently still adapting to the role after arriving as a winger, but going off his playing time last season in Portugal, it would be more fitting for the American to slot into the back three in place of Osman Kakay.