Odemwingie threatens to sue Sky Sports, West Brom, QPR over failed 2013 transfer

Former Super Eagles striker Peter Odemwingie has threatened legal action against Sky Sports, West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers over the infamous failed transfer saga that unfolded on the final day of the January 2013 window.

According to The Sun, the 45-year-old said he will consult a lawyer next week over the continued replaying of footage from the episode, which saw him drive 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 why Sky Sports continued to show the footage, which has become one of the most recognisable moments in Premier League transfer deadline-day history.

“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.”

Speaking 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 offered his account of what led him to travel to Loftus Road, saying his agent, Barry McIntosh, had told him the transfer was already sorted.

“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. Odemwingie was subsequently left at West Brom for the remainder of the 2012/13 season.

He also alleged that his agent had links with Sky Sports and questioned the role played by the broadcaster and the clubs in the events surrounding the transfer. Those claims have not been independently established.

Odemwingie additionally criticised QPR over the sale of the shirt prepared for his arrival, which the club auctioned last year.

The striker’s actions on deadline day led to disciplinary action from West Brom, after he appeared outside QPR’s ground expecting the transfer to be completed.

He later left West Brom for Cardiff City in September 2013 before joining Stoke City a year later. He subsequently played for Bristol City and Rotherham before ending his career with Indonesian club Madura United in 2017.

Sky Sports, West Brom and QPR have been approached for comment on Odemwingie’s latest claims.