Psycho-Khela, Signed Today

Today, 24th June 2025, Peterborough United completed the double signing of Centre-Back Sam Hughes and Midfielder Brandon Khela, from Stockport County and Birmingham City, respectively.

Photo credit: Joe Dent

Instant reaction

This is the jump-start Posh needed in what has so far been a twitchy off-season. Massive assets, all leaving for pennies, have not been replaced convincingly. Until now, the incomings have been a National League starlet, and a 23-year-old with more Premier League 2 experience than first team men’s football. Lisbie and Frith may well go on to be successful signings for Posh, but today’s double salvo of familiar face Sam Hughes (who I’m referring to as Psycho to make my Talking Heads joke work) and Bluenose academy product Brandon Khela, is a significant step in the right direction for Posh as they look to fill the holes in their squad.

Sam Hughes is simply one of the best aerial defenders Posh has had in the MacAnthony era. He was in the 98th percentile of aerial duels won in League One last year, and in the 87th percentile for other defensive actions. His passing improved dramatically under Darren Ferguson’s stewardship and by the end of the campaign was completely comfortable in passing out from the back, no better illustrated than his work starting the many counter attacks against Charlton Athletic at home, the game in which he also scored his solitary goal last year. He is a vocal and assertive leader, and those of us who go to away games have seen (and often heard) first hand that he is particularly demanding of his centre-back partner.

20-year-old Brandon Khela has tasted success already in his fledgling career, helping Bradford City secure promotion back to League One at what felt like the 100th time of asking. Described as a box-to-box midfielder by Darragh MacAnthony, the Bradford fans describe him as highly professional and a gem who was a credit to himself and the club. He hardly got a sniff in League One last year at Birmingham, but that does not matter to Posh, who have locked him in for 4, possibly 5, years. Our club’s pathway for this young man is likely to be one that has been recently travelled by Hector Kyprianou: trust that early flashes of talent in League Two can be translated to stardom further up the football pyramid. In a Fergie system that demands an all-action midfielder to act as a metronome between defence and attack, Khela clearly saw an opportunity to showcase his talent, and develop into a versatile midfield star. Let’s hope we can get some money for him if it all works out.