Yoann Barbet says manager Mark Warburton was a major factor in his decision to join QPR.
Aston Villa boss Dean Smith, who managed Barbet at Brentford, had been tipped to snap him up this summer.
But the defender, whose Brentford contract had expired, ended up staying in west London after deciding to move to Loftus Road.
And amid interest in him from a number of clubs in England and elsewhere, R’s boss Warburton travelling to Barbet’s native France to speak to him made all the difference.
“The manager made the difference for me. When you have a manager who wants you it is always good,” Barbet told QPR’s website.
Warburton said: “A lot of people wanted him so I flew out to see him, and to speak with him and his agent.
“You have to do what you have to do in order to secure the move and it’s great to get it over the line.
“It was good to have a number of conversations with him because you get a sense of what he wants out of his football career and what he is looking for in terms of a challenge.
“I am looking forward to working with him.”