Odemwingie breaks silence on infamous West Brom-QPR deadline-day saga – “That’s stupid”

Peter Odemwingie. Copyright: IMAGO

Former Super Eagles forward Peter Odemwingie has opened up on the infamous transfer deadline day saga involving West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers during his Premier League career, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Nigerian forward was at the centre of a controversial failed transfer in January 2013 when he attempted to leave West Brom for QPR.

Odemwingie had joined the Baggies in 2010 from Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow in his first move to the Premier League. He quickly established himself at the club, with his impressive performances attracting interest from several top clubs in Europe.

However, his relationship with West Brom deteriorated in January 2013. The former Nigeria international handed in a formal transfer request, but the club rejected it, before he then made his desire to leave public on social media.

Things took a dramatic turn on transfer deadline day when Odemwingie was captured on live television outside QPR’s Loftus Road stadium as he attempted to force through a move.

His actions attracted criticism from West Brom’s owners, the club’s supporters and several football figures. Although talks over a transfer continued, the deal eventually collapsed and Odemwingie returned to West Brom. He was subsequently disciplined by the club and later apologized for his actions.

Soccer Odemwingie opens up on the real story behind West Brom-QPR saga

With the 2026 summer transfer window set to close in most leagues across Europe, Odemwingie has now reflected on his own infamous deadline day experience from 2013.

The former Super Eagles star claimed the incident was largely misunderstood and argued that Sky Sports presented the situation in a way that did not tell the full story. According to Odemwingie, West Brom made the transfer difficult by introducing a new condition late in the negotiations.

“Deadline day, transfer talks and everything. Till today, although I’ve already given a few interviews in the past and I have made posts on former Twitter, Instagram and I’ve put this thing out, some people still comment and ask about what happened on the day”, Odemwingie said in a recent interview.

“The problem about this whole story is that nobody is interested in the truth. They just want to be distracted. Sky Sports milked this situation for so many years. I think it’s just wickedness really.

“They know what a transfer is like and how complicated it can be, especially swap deals. On the very day this thing happened, Dharmesh and his friend, who was the agent, Barry McIntosh, were working together to try and make this thing happen”, the ex-West Brom star continued.

“The first time they said, ‘Let’s do a Sky interview on deadline day,’ I was in my car driving down and the agent called me and said, ‘Let’s go to Sky Studios.’

“I said, ‘For what?’ And he said, ‘West Brom is making things difficult.’ I said, ‘That’s stupid, that’s childish and I’ll never go in front of a camera on purpose.’

“We then parked up and I called West Brom. Dan Ashworth tried to reach them and text them, but we got no reply. So, we waited for two hours around the corner.”

Odemwingie also explained how he eventually ended up outside QPR’s stadium, insisting that he did not deliberately go there to create an unwanted situation.

“Just like Harry Redknapp said, he should have waited in a hotel or a restaurant. We did,” he added.

“Barry McIntosh told me it was all sorted. His car was in front of mine and we were driving. I don’t even know where we were going, whether to the training ground or to the stadium.

“I’d never been there before. Even when I’d gone to QPR, I just arrived on the bus and walked into the dressing room. They parked right by the doors.

“We continued driving and I was following his car. When he pulled up, then I waited and the cameras came.”

Soccer West Brom’s role in failed transfer

Odemwingie went on to claim that West Brom changed the terms of the proposed deal late in the negotiations, which ultimately contributed to the collapse of the transfer.

He revealed that the club introduced a condition involving former QPR midfielder Junior Hoilett moving in the opposite direction, something he claimed had not previously been part of the agreement.

“But then, West Brom also misbehaved that day, saying it was a conditional decision and that Hoilett had to go the other way for the deal to happen”, the three-time AFCON bronze medalist revealed.

“There was no such condition given and they misbehaved. Then Ashworth called West Brom chairman Richard Garlick.

“Shame on them, shame on Sky and the agents. Sky never wanted to interview the agent. He had direct links with Sky.

“Dharmesh was interviewed by Roman and Evan Evans of World in Motion, because none of them gave any account of what happened”, he concluded.

Odemwingie was eventually reinstated into the West Brom squad a few weeks after the incident. However, he left the club at the end of the 2012/13 season after scoring 30 Premier League goals for the Baggies.

He subsequently joined Cardiff City in the summer of 2013, bringing an end to one of the most controversial transfer sagas in Premier League history.

Ayomide Oguntimehin

Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.

Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin