Wantaway striker Peter Odemwingie cut a lonely figure as he was called into training this morning – while the rest of his West Bromwich Albion teammates were given the day off.
The Nigerian forward made himself a laughing stock when he drove to London on transfer deadline day and stopped for a TV interview outside QPR’s Loftus Road ground.
The 31-year-old believed he was on the verge of sealing a deal with Harry Redknapp’s team but was unaware that West Brom had blocked the deal at the last minute.
The red-faced striker was left with the embarrassing task of driving back up the M1 to the West Midlands to face furious club bosses.
He was sent home from the club’s training ground last Friday and told he was not wanted for West Brom’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
But yesterday the striker was pictured driving into the club’s training ground in Walsall, West Mids., in a black Bentley Continental GT for his first training session since the deadline-day drama.
With the rest of the first-team having a day off after playing in the Premier League on Sunday, Odemwingie trained with teammate Youssouf Mulumbu – who is recovering from an injury picked up during the African Cup of Nations.
Wearing an West Brom tracksuit, the club’s leading Premier League scorer looked like his mind was elsewhere as he was snapped being put through his paces by one of Steve Clarke’s coaches.
One onlooker said: “Most of the first team had the day off so he was only there with the kids or players recovering from injury.
“But Pete didn’t look like he wanted to be there at all. Mulumbu was there because he didn’t play against Tottenham so he seemed to be sharing a few jokes with him.
“I think Mulumbu might be his only friend in football at the moment.
“He might have been poorly advised but he has made some odd choices and I can’t see any Albion fans forgiving him any time soon.”
