Former Super Eagles striker Peter Osaze Odemwingie has threatened legal action against Sky Sports, West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers over the circumstances surrounding his failed transfer to QPR in January 2013.
According to The Sun, the 45-year-old said he plans to consult a lawyer next week over the continued replaying of footage from the transfer deadline-day episode, which saw him travel to QPR’s Loftus Road believing a move from West Brom had been agreed.
“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,” Odemwingie wrote on Instagram. The former Nigeria international also questioned Sky Sports’ continued use of footage from the incident, which became one of the most widely remembered episodes of Premier League transfer deadline day.
“From simply a human side of it @SkySportsFootball, what is the motive/intention to show this episode on and on for so many years?” he wrote. “The least will be lack or absence of respect in my opinion.” In an accompanying video, Odemwingie accused the broadcaster of repeatedly exploiting the incident.
“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,” he said. Odemwingie also gave his account of why he travelled to Loftus Road, saying his agent at the time, Barry McIntosh, had told him the transfer had been arranged.
“Barry McIntosh told me it was all sorted. His car was in front of mine and we were driving,” Odemwingie said. The proposed move ultimately collapsed after West Brom and QPR failed to agree a transfer fee before the 11pm deadline, leaving Odemwingie at West Brom for the remainder of the 2012/13 season.
Odemwingie also alleged that his agent had links with Sky Sports and questioned the roles played by the broadcaster and the two clubs in the events surrounding the proposed transfer. Those allegations have not been independently established.
He further criticised QPR over its decision to auction a shirt that had been prepared for his anticipated arrival at the club. Odemwingie faced disciplinary action from West Brom following the deadline-day episode after appearing outside QPR’s ground expecting the transfer to be completed.
He eventually left West Brom for Cardiff City in September 2013 before joining Stoke City the following year. He later played for Bristol City and Rotherham before ending his playing career with Indonesian club Madura United in 2017. Sky Sports, West Brom and QPR have been approached for comment on Odemwingie’s latest claims.