QPR’s Mark Hughes backs Moussa Dembele to shine at Tottenham

Mark Hughes has backed former Fulham star Moussa Dembele to shine at Tottenham Hotspur after moving to White Hart Lane in August.

The QPR manager signed the Belgium international while he was in charge at Fulham, with the Cottagers snapping up the forward for a modest £5m fee back in August 2010.

Dembele became a regular under Hughes before the Welshman left the club in 2011, and the former AZ Alkmaar star completed a move away from the Cottagers this summer.

Spurs paid £15m to bring Dembele to White Hart Lane, and Hughes expects the 25-year-old to thrive in the limelight at the north London club.

“I’ve got huge respect for Moussa,” said Hughes. “He’s an outstanding footballer and now he’s at a club which has, no disrespect to Fulham, a higher profile and is getting more attention.

“What people have seen in a short amount of time at Tottenham, he was producing regularly for me and Martin Jol when I left Fulham.

“He’s an outstanding footballer and I always knew when he came to the Premier League that he would make an immediate impact.

“He certainly has done that. Technically he’s very accomplished. He can play right up top, off the front man, on the wings, and in midfield. That’s the quality of the player we are talking about.

“I knew he would enjoy Tottenham and be able to fit in quickly.”

Hughes revealed he played a part in ensuring Fulham placed a £15m minimum release clause in Dembele’s contract, with the Welshman confident the forward will thrill Spurs fans following the departures of Luka Modrić and Rafael van der Vaart.

“I was the one who stipulated to place a bigger figure on him. I made sure it was at a decent figure,” he added.

“He’s a good player and Spurs fans will enjoy [watching] him.”