Anzhi Makhachkala director German Tkachenko was stunned at the amount QPR were willing to pay to pay for the Congo international Christopher Samba. The 28-year-old centre-back joined Rangers on deadline day in the January transfer window after they triggered a £12.5m release clause in his contract, with the player rumoured to be earning £100,000-a-week at the Premier League bottom club.
"At QPR he will earn almost as much as he did at Anzhi," said Tkachenko. "In my view QPR have lost their minds.
"When they agreed to pay his release fee we wept. He [Samba] wept. Everybody says that he ran away from the club, but that's not true. He didn't put any pressure on the club until we received an offer from QPR for £12.5m, the amount required by his contract."
Tkachenko revealed former Blackburn Rovers defender Samba was keen to return to Western Europe for family reasons.
"It was linked to the threat that he would lose contact with his children," Tkachenko added. "That was a big blow. He was a guy who loved all of us. And besides, he is a very good defender. I think he is one of the top five defenders currently playing in Europe."
"If we are successful and playing in the Champions League, I dream that Samba will become an Anzhi player again," he added.
