Nigerian-born
foward, Peter Odemwingie faces an awkward return to West Brom after the club
admitted they were "disappointed" by his "unprofessional"
attempts to secure a deadline day transfer to QPR.
Odemwingie - seemingly of his own volition - made the drive down to Loftus Road
on Thursday evening, in a bid to push through a move to the
relegation-threatened Premier League club, despite West Brom refusing to grant
him permission after a deal had proven impossible to agree.
The Midlands side were forced to issue a statement confirming that they had not
granted Odemwingie permission to travel to London, while QPR did not allow the
Nigeria international to enter their stadium as they were eager not to "disrespect"
the Baggies.
The statement read: "Albion can confirm that no agreement was reached with QPR over the transfer of Peter Odemwingie before the closure of the January window and that the striker remains under contract at The Hawthorns.
"The club were extremely disappointed to witness TV footage of Odemwingie arriving at Loftus Road on Thursday evening despite further talks between the two Premier League sides proving fruitless. Odemwingie was also never given permission to speak to QPR about a potential move."
Meanwhile, West Brom chairman Jeremy Peace claims Odemwingie has tarnished his reputation and must see out the remainder of his contract.
"This evening's developments have brought a conclusion to what has been an unsavoury affair," Peace said. "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.
"Neither materialised and, in the end, the matter became a point of principle as much as anything. 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."
The saga prevented any prospect of the two sides reaching an agreement before Thursday's 11pm transfer deadline, with Odemwingie likely to face tough questions upon his return to The Hawthorns.
Redknapp defended Odemwingie against suggestions the striker knew what he was doing in making the trip down, suggesting that the unusual incident was a result of mis-communication.
"I think he probably felt the deal had been agreed between the clubs and it hadn't," Redknapp told Sky Sports. "Just a bit of a mix-up really.
I feel sorry for the lad and the way the whole thing has turned out.
"It wasn't any of our doing. I think maybe he was advised that he should turn up here, that an offer had been accepted but the wires got crossed somewhere. It's too late [to do a deal] now."
QPR's disappointment surrounding Odemwingie was tempered by a number of acquisitions on deadline day, however. Having completed the signing of Christopher Samba earlier in the day, QPR further strengthened with the addition of Jermaine Jenas from Tottenham on an 18-month deal.
The Spurs midfielder was joined by a former team-mate, Andros Townsend, who has moved to Loftus Road on a loan arrangement until the end of the season.
"We've got the two lads from Tottenham," Redknapp added. "The two loans.
Andros I think has good potential to be a good player so it's good to get him in."
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