Osaze in West Brom showdown talks

Osaze Odemwingie’s future will be decided this week when he holds talks with West Bromwich Albion officials.

The striker wants to leave this summer and is attracting interest from fellow Premier League rivals and clubs abroad.

Newly-promoted Crystal Palace and Hull City are both keen on his services, but Albion must agree to sell him before a move can be discussed.

A valuation fee – the sticking point in previous failed transfers – also needs to be decided over the next few days in order for Odemwingie’s exit to progress.

In the past, a £5m price tag was placed on him, but the club may be willing to let him leave for less now that he has just 12 months left on his contract.

That would suit the Nigeria international, who turns 32 next month, after he claimed Albion priced him out of a move in the last transfer window.

In January, he almost joined Queens Park Rangers but a highly-publicised breakdown in communication on deadline day scuppered the move.

Albion wanted Junior Hoilett on loan as part of a makeweight in the deal, but the Canadian didn’t fancy a switch to The Hawthorns.

Osaze Odemwingie’s future will be decided this week when he holds talks with West Bromwich Albion officials.

The striker wants to leave this summer and is attracting interest from fellow Premier League rivals and clubs abroad.

Newly-promoted Crystal Palace and Hull City are both keen on his services, but Albion must agree to sell him before a move can be discussed.

A valuation fee – the sticking point in previous failed transfers – also needs to be decided over the next few days in order for Odemwingie’s exit to progress.

In the past, a £5m price tag was placed on him, but the club may be willing to let him leave for less now that he has just 12 months left on his contract.

That would suit the Nigeria international, who turns 32 next month, after he claimed Albion priced him out of a move in the last transfer window.

In January, he almost joined Queens Park Rangers but a highly-publicised breakdown in communication on deadline day scuppered the move.

Albion wanted Junior Hoilett on loan as part of a makeweight in the deal, but the Canadian didn’t fancy a switch to The Hawthorns.

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SOCCER: Osaze finally quits West Brom

| credits: PunchNG

Osaze Odemwingie’s future with West Bromwich Albion was decided during talks between the club and the PFA last week – with the striker set for a summer exit, irrespective of Saturday’s flare-up with Baggies supporters.

It has also emerged that TV presenter Adrian Chiles has apologised for the comment he made about the striker at the club’s end-of-season dinner.

Odemwingie’s future was pretty much resolved during last Thursday’s meeting involving himself, the PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor, Albion’s sporting and technical director Richard Garlick and the club’s chief executive Mark Jenkins.

The 31-year-old made it clear during those talks that he wants to leave this summer.

Albion will not stand in his way, provided a suitable agreement can be reached with another club as the Nigeria international will still have 12 months left to run on his current deal.

Odemwingie also contested the four separate fines – one of which was suspended – imposed by the club for misconduct during January and February .

That situation has been resolved amicably, although it remains unclear how many of the fines have been rescinded.

Chiles’ remark, which drew criticism from Steve Clarke last week, was also brought up during the same meeting.

The ITV Sport presenter later called Odemwingie on Friday to apologise.

Saturday’s game with Wigan re-opened old wounds when substitute Odemwingie was involved in an ugly exchange with a fan as he warmed-up in front of the West Stand.

The drama unfolded when he briefly broke off from his exercises to speak to his wife and 

child, who were in the front row.

At that point a fan seated nearby launched a verbal attack which prompted an angry reaction from Odemwingie.

While Odemwingie was tolerant of the booing, he took exception to the six-letter expletive being yelled within earshot of his wife and baby.

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West Brom sticking with Odemwingie

Osaze

West Bromwich Albion head coach Steve Clarke says Peter Odemwingie still remains part of his plans, despite the striker’s recent Twitter outburst at the club.

During the international break, Odemwingie, 31, took to the social networking site to criticise his side over a lack of first-team action, accusing team-mates of talking behind his back and telling a fan he wanted to be sacked.

Clarke confirmed last week that the Nigeria international was facing a two-week fine and said he was “bored” with the behaviour of the player.

However, the Baggies boss insists that Odemwingie, who was jeered by West Brom supporters in the 3-1 defeat to West Ham on Saturday, has not disrupted his dressing room and still has a role to play this season.

“Peter has been part of my squad since the start of the season,” Clarke told the Birmingham Mail. “The episode in January was obviously difficult for all concerned but we left the door open, we got him back in the squad and he still has to be part of the squad.

“I run a small squad and I thought his introduction on Saturday was positive. He had one good run, a fantastic run by James Collins that probably saved a certain goal. Our players’ dressing room is really good. It’s a strong dressing room. We can handle this situation.

“Fans can react any way they want. My job is to get a team on the pitch that can get positive results and I have to use all the players at my disposal to do that. I don’t think any negativity affected the way we played on Saturday or caused our result or performance. It would be wrong to say that.”

Odemwingie was previously fined £80,000 for a breach of the club’s rules on social networking sites and was also punished after he drove to Loftus Road on transfer deadline day in an unsuccessful attempt to force through a move to Queens Park Rangers.

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Osaze Odemwingie slams Complete Sports editor on Twitter

 

Since he's been playing less and less, Peter Odemwingie has been going off on Twitter more and more. Yesterdayhe went off on the editor of Complete Sports and showed off screen grabs of their private conversation in which they exchanged harsh words. He has since deleted the Tweets..

Find the private conversation from the sports editor which he shared on Twitter after the cut...

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SOCCER: Osaze hints at buying out contract

Osaze Odemwingie has hinted he may buy himself out of his West Brom contract in another Twitter outburst on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old Nigeria striker has 15 months remaining of his four-year deal at The Hawthorns.

But under article 17 of FIFA’s transfer regulations, players over the age of 28 can end their contracts two years after signing for a club by paying a compensation figure determined by their wages and transfer fee.

“I see a free player. A player who buys out his contract soon. Or a retired player. Does he look like he cares much? They made him not to,” Odemwingie tweeted.

West Brom have already declared the Nigeria international will be sanctioned over his latest Twitter attacks on the club.

Osaze hit out at being only a substitute in recent games and for the club allegedly questioning his commitment.

He had tried to force a transfer to Queens Park Rangers in January but West Brom blocked the move.

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