Queens Park Rangers are set to auction a unique piece of football history: the only shirt ever made for Nigerian international Peter Odemwingie, prepared ahead of his infamous failed transfer from West Bromwich Albion in January 2013. The auction revives memories of one of the Premier League’s most dramatic deadline day sagas.
Odemwingie’s attempted move to Loftus Road became a notorious incident when the striker, believing a deal was done, arrived at QPR’s stadium expecting to finalize his transfer. However, the move collapsed spectacularly as both clubs confirmed that a fee had not been agreed upon. Odemwingie was famously left waiting in his car outside the stadium, his hopes of a switch dashed.
“Queens Park Rangers auctioned the only shirt ever made for Peter Odemwingie on Wednesday, which had been prepared ahead of his failed transfer from West Brom in January 2013,” highlighting the singular nature of the item now up for grabs.
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In anticipation of the deal’s completion, QPR’s head of retail, Francis Atkinson, had prepared a custom shirt bearing Odemwingie’s name and squad number. This shirt now stands as a tangible relic of the “unusual nature” of the transfer saga, which saw the forward arrive at Loftus Road without official permission from the Baggies.
The incident caused a significant stir at the time, particularly given Odemwingie’s prior success at West Brom, where he had won three Premier League Player of the Month awards. Despite the dramatic episode, he remained with West Brom for the rest of that season before eventually departing for Cardiff City in the summer of 2013.
During his tenure at The Hawthorns, Odemwingie proved to be a prolific forward, scoring 31 goals and providing 14 assists in 90 appearances. This included two seasons where he notched 10 or more Premier League goals, making his original £2.5 million signing from Lokomotiv Moscow widely remembered as a significant bargain in the context of today’s football market.
The auction of this one-of-a-kind shirt offers collectors a rare opportunity to own a piece of Premier League folklore, serving as a vivid reminder of one of the league’s most notorious transfer stories.
Meanwhile, West Bromwich Albion reportedly continues to seek attacking reinforcements, with past talents like Odemwingie often cited as the benchmark for the kind of quality the club aspires to bring in to replicate top-flight success.
