Odemwingie branded unprofessional by WBA
Reuters - Friday 01 February 2013, 09:27
West Bromwich
Albion striker Peter Odemwingie was branded unprofessional by his club
but viewed as unlucky by others on Friday after a transfer deadline-day
saga that ended in an unsuccessful bid to join Queens Park Rangers.
The
Nigerian was so convinced he would be signing for the West London club
before the window shut on Thursday that he had rushed to the capital and
even gave a television interview referring to QPR as "we".
Less
than 24 hours later, he found himself back in the Midlands with the
team-mates he had said his goodbyes to and facing some harsh words from
West Brom, who said he had not been given permission to speak to QPR and
no deal had been reached.
"Peter
has acted wholly unprofessionally. He must now accept the fact he
remains under contract for a further 18 months and has to focus on his
Albion commitments," West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace said on the club's
website.
Odemwingie,
31, told the BBC he had been given a few days off and would return to
training next week and had earlier said he had been under the impression
on Thursday that he had been given the green light for the move.
"They
didn't give me written permission, but you know, we are in England and
when you are gentlemen you understand each other easily," he said on Sky
Sports News.
He added that as far as he was aware the only sticking point had been over a loan deal for a QPR player to go the other way.
WRONG INFORMATION
QPR
manager Harry Redknapp gave some weight to that belief, saying on
Friday that one of his players had changed his mind about a move.
"I was disappointed for the boy, the whole thing was a bit of a mess," he told a news conference.
"It
was a mistake him travelling down, he thought the deal was done and
that was why he turned up... he's a nice boy... let's hope people give
him the opportunity to move on and get on with his life."
Other
Premier League managers also had some sympathy for the striker, with
Arsenal's Arsene Wenger telling a news conference: "I wouldn't put the
blame on Odemwingie - sometimes players are told the wrong information
by their environment."
Manchester
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson added: "I don't know why he drove there,
whether he had permission, he may have thought the deal was done. What a
wasted journey anyway."
Odemwingie handed in a transfer request a week ago, which West Brom rejected.
Albion,
who on Thursday said they had turned down a second bid for the forward,
had repeatedly said they had no need or desire to sell their core
players.
"The only way we
would have considered letting Peter leave was if an acceptable offer was
forthcoming and if we had found a suitable replacement at relatively
short notice," Peace said.
"Neither materialised and, in the end, the matter became a point of principle as much as anything."
West
Brom will hope Odemwingie can put all thoughts of the past week out of
his mind and concentrate on club matters although it may only be a
temporary end to the soap opera.
"I
will still leave the club," the player told Sky Sports News. "It is
only a matter of time."