Ex-West Brom star Peter Odemwingie plots legal action over iconic QPR incident | OneFootball

Peter Odemwingie is preparing to take serious action against the narratives surrounding his infamous failed move from West Brom to QPR in 2013

Deadline day has come and gone following the conclusion of the summer transfer window, and while some natural twists and turns took place throughout Tuesday, the drama of 2013 and one iconic incident in particular will never be forgotten.

The incident in question was, of course, Peter Odemwingie's proposed switch from West Bromwich Albion to QPR, which the ex-Nigerian international has never quite been able to live down despite his best efforts and the fact he hung his boots up some seven years ago.

Indeed, the sheer absurdity of what actually happened outside Loftus Road may never be topped, although its narration is something that Odemwingie himself has always taken issue with and could now go as far to pursue legal action against.

Peter Odemwingie's infamous 2013 deadline day incident involving West Brom and QPR

Odemwingie found himself at a career crossroads by the time the winter transfer window rolled around in 2013, having previously lit up the Hawthorns during his time as a Baggie.

He had no shortage of interest and QPR had chased his services, so much so that Odemwingie was led to believe that a move had been completed.

As such, Odemwingie headed down to West London with little time to spare on deadline day under the impression that he was set to be unveiled as a QPR player, and he was promptly interviewed by reporters through his car window outside Loftus Road.

However, the two clubs failed to actually agree a fee for the talented Uzbekistan-born forward. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the deal only hinged on Junior Hoilett heading the other way and, when that did not materialise, Odemwingie saw the move collapse just minutes from the deadline, which forced him to return to West Brom under a cloud.

Odemwingie would later join Cardiff City in the summer of 2013, but the incident lives long in the memory of many.

Peter Odemwingie threatens Sky Sports, West Brom and QPR legal action for 2013 deadline day incident

Deadline day is, of course, synonymous with chaos, drama and last-ditch twists and turns, all of which epitomised Odemwingie's failed move to QPR more than 13 years ago.

It's no surprise, then, that the incident is still retold to this day when deadline day approaches, though Odemwingie naturally wishes that wasn't the case and is prepared to take action in a fresh twist.

The now-45-year-old undertook a scathing rant on Sky Sports, West Brom and QPR, threatening legal action against all three parties. Odemwingie has long been left incensed by Sky Sports' reporting of the story, while he has also lambasted QPR for having kept hold of and auctioned a Hoops-issued shirt bearing his name and number that was never worn in tribute to the iconic saga.

In a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday, Odemwingie laid bare his intentions of pursuing legal action while setting the record straight with his account of events, citing significant misinformation in the reporting of the failed deal.

He said: "Sky Sports agents and employees of both clubs - West Brom and QPR - definitely have questions to answer and I will be seeing a lawyer next week to make it official."

'From simply a human side of it @SkySportsFootball, what is the motive/intention to show this episode on and on for so many years? The least will be lack or absence of respect in my opinion. Maybe they don't like that I am half Nigerian and half Russian? I can only guess. Could be something else. Who really knows."

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

The aforementioned Hoilett's involvement in a potential swap deal is claimed to have complicated negotiations by Odemwingie, who has alleged that he rejected a request to partake in a Sky Sports interview while travelling to London as reporter Dharmesh Sheth and agent Barry McIntosh worked together in an attempt to seal the move.

"Barry McIntosh told me it was all sorted," he said. "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. 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.

"There was no such condition given and they misbehaved. Then (Dan) Ashworth called West Brom director of football 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."

Then, in another video posted days afterwards, Odemwingie slammed Natalie Sawyer, sharing footage of the ex-Sky Sports presenter asking live on air: "Would QPR really want to sign a player that would do this?"

In a post that tagged Sky Sports, BBC Sport and talkSPORT, Odemwingie simply wrote: "Tables have turned. The time is ticking. Heads out the sand guys."

Peter Odemwingie's career tailed off after West Brom, QPR deadline day incident

Odemwingie's career was never quite the same after the incident, which ultimately spelled the end of his time in the Black Country that summer.

The well-travelled forward racked up double digits for goals in his first two seasons with the Baggies but that output dropped during the 2012/13 season, perhaps explaining why West Brom had been open to his exit to a league rival in the first place, and he would find himself very much on the periphery upon returning to Albion.

A move to newly-promoted Cardiff City then followed, though Odemwingie endured a tough time of it in the Welsh capital and was then on his way back up to the Midlands by signing for Stoke City in January 2014 as part of a swap deal - successful on this occassion - that saw Kenwyne Jones join the Bluebirds.

Odemwingie hit the ground running in the Potteries with six strikes from 15 appearances in the remainder of the 2013/14 campaign but soon lost his way and struggled for minutes before joining Bristol City on loan and then leaving permanently ahead of a short-term contract switch to Rotherham United in October 2016.

Firmly in the twilight of his career at this stage, Odemwingie didn't make much of an impact in South Yorkshire with his best years in the past, but would eventually wind down his playing days just as they started with lots of goals - scoring freely in a spell with Indonesian top-flight outfit Madura United before retiring at the age of 39 in April 2019.