Old boy Odemwingie is still fuming with Baggies
THE transfer window – particularly deadline day – has produced some memorable moments since its introduction in 2002. None more so than when, in 2013, Peter Odemwingie spoke, through his car window, to reporters about his impending move from West Brom to QPR.
The deal broke down and an unhappy Odemwingie was left embarrassed and having to return to The Hawthorns.
He left later that year but only after eight difficult months – and it still smarts.
He has revisited that experience and slammed then-Albion owner Jeremy Peace for the way in which he sold the club.
“On deadline day we agreed everything, I have the emails to prove what the discussion was,” he said.
“If I am doing my autobiography I will put things there, you will just understand how clear it was.
“I was under the complete impression the deal was agreed and it was going to go through, I was 100 per cent sure.
“They pulled the plug on the deal because they claimed that Junior Hoilett, one player from QPR, changed his mind to go to West Brom.
“But they didn’t put that out as the main reason, they just said, ‘he shouldn’t have gone there early’.
“Of course they knew I was there, they knew why I was in London, they pulled the plug on it because they never wanted to sell me.
“They pulled the plug on the deal when they saw a chance to do that so I could work for six months and get them as high as possible in the table because it was business.” Odemwingie also laid into Peace for bailing out when Guochuan Lai offered to buy the Baggies in 2016. “There was lack of emotions from the chairman, he was just a businessman, West Brom was a business project for him and the proof of that was as soon as there was a big cheque on the table he sold the club and that was the time if you have the club in your heart that was the time actually to stay,’’ he said. “They give you so much money, now stay and enjoy your hobby, but he sold the club.
“They let me down.”