Nigerian footballer, Osaze Odemwingie, still recalls how his attempted move from West Brom to Queens Park Rangers collapsed in the last hour.
The 33-year-old famously drove the 120 miles from Birmingham to London on January 31, 2013 in an attempt to speed up a late move to QPR.
Odemwingie wanted to force his way out of the Hawthorns after the club had rejected several bids for him but the move couldn’t be completed before the 11pm transfer deadline, with then QPR manager, Harry Redknapp, claiming “wires got crossed”
Three years on, the Stoke City striker reflects on the failed move, his reaction afterwards and its effect on his career.
As another winter transfer approaches, the former Lille star spoke to Sky Sports about the most famous transfer deal that never happened.
He said: “I didn’t even know what to think; I was laughing and almost crying at the same time! I believed it was done, I had nothing to hide.
“When the cameras came, I didn’t feel awkward to say ‘yes, this is where we are’. Unless you see it on paper nothing is done, so that’s why I said it’s a 90 per cent done deal.
“They (West Brom players) were confused a bit and they knew I believed the deal was done. But then it was tough of course with the fans.
“(After the move collapsed) I said I’m going to play a song from Akon, ‘Lonely’, and drive home. I wish it all didn’t happen, but that’s life.”
Odemwingie added that the debacle is still fresh in the hearts of fans and players alike who still make jest of him anytime a player hands in a transfer request.
“Sometimes we still laugh about it,” the 34-year-old stated.
“Anytime something reminds us of that or a player puts in a transfer request, the boys will say the players’ first name and then call them Odemwingie!
“Let’s say if Glenn Whelan was moving, they’d call him Glenn Odemwingie! They’ll just have fun with it.
“I recently went to London and there were 10 Leicester fans who we shouting ‘hi Peter’ and we had a good chat, but at the end said ‘what were you thinking when you drove to QPR’?!
“I was sitting there wondering do people really think I drove there and just said ‘please sign me’?! Anyway, it makes people laugh!”
