5 major January transfers that collapsed at the last minute

We’re past the halfway point in the current January transfer window, and while a handful of big moves have already been wrapped up, plenty are still in flux right now, with potential transfers like Christian Eriksen to Inter Milan and Bruno Fernandes to Manchester United not yet completed.

With over a week to go before transfer deadline day, those moves may well go through yet – but if they don’t, they won’t be the first major January transfers to fall through at the last minute.

Over the history of the January window, we’ve seen plenty of big moves fall apart, for various reasons – and here are 5 of the most memorable.

1. Riyad Mahrez – Leicester City to Manchester City (2018)

Riyad Mahrez went AWOL when his January 2018 move from Leicester to Man City fell apart

One of the Premier League’s most outstanding players during Leicester City’s miraculous title win of 2015-16, it came as a surprise when Riyad Mahrez stayed at the King Power Stadium despite the vultures circling during the summer that followed. The Algerian international instead signed a new deal at the club, and helped the Foxes into the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2016-17.

When it became clear that Leicester wouldn’t be able to repeat their success though, Mahrez decided that he wanted out. The forward initially asked for a move in the summer of 2017, but when that didn’t materialise, he waited until January 2018’s transfer window and slapped in another transfer request, just in time for Manchester City to register their interest.

Pep Guardiola’s side seemed determined to land the player and made a total of three different bids during the month, but despite the move seeming close, Leicester refused to sell, instead reportedly demanding £80m for the Algerian.

For his part, Mahrez was seriously unhappy with the decision – and even went AWOL from training before returning in early February. He continued to play for the Foxes until the end of 2017-18 – scoring 12 goals – before finally moving to the Etihad in the summer for £60m, the price that City had reportedly been willing to pay in January.

2. Demba Ba – 1899 Hoffenheim to Stoke City (2011)

A failed medical saw Demba Ba move to West Ham rather than Stoke in 2011

After scoring 6 goals in 17 appearances during the first half of 2010-11 for Hoffenheim, French striker Demba Ba was a player in demand during the January transfer window. A number of Premier League clubs registered their interest in him, and to attempt to force a move, the striker refused to travel to Hoffenheim’s winter training camp.

After threatening to sack Ba, fine him, take him to court and even attempt to ban him from moving for six months, the Bundesliga side eventually relented, and agreed to let him talk to potential suitors. It looked like Stoke City would be his likely destination, and a fee of £7.1m was agreed between the two clubs for the Frenchman.

Ba even agreed personal terms with the Potters and it looked like Tony Pulis had his man – that was, until the striker failed a medical due to an underlying knee condition that had caused a move to Stuttgart to fall through two years prior. Despite Ba claiming he was 100% confident of playing his whole career with no issues, Stoke then withdrew their offer.

After the protracted attempt to leave the club, though, a return to Hoffenheim for the Frenchman was a no-go – and so instead, West Ham decided to take a risk on him, signing him with three days remaining in the window on a pay-as-you-play deal. And as it turned out, his knee was fine, as he completed 12 games for the Hammers, scoring 7 goals in the process.

3. Peter Odemwingie – West Bromwich Albion to QPR (2013)

Peter Odemwingie's attempt to force a move from West Brom to QPR remains infamous

Perhaps the most controversial incident in the history of the January transfer window, the actions of Peter Odemwingie in 2013 remain infamous today to longtime fans of the Premier League. The Nigerian striker had spent 2 seasons at West Bromwich Albion, scoring 25 league goals in the process, but by 2012-13 he’d had enough at the Hawthorns and decided he wanted to move elsewhere.

When the January window opened, Odemwingie slapped in a transfer request – which was subsequently turned down by the Baggies, who stated that they didn’t want to sell any players during the month. That didn’t stop QPR from making an offer for him, but when a £2m bid was turned down by West Brom, the Nigerian striker went off on an incredible Twitter rant.

Odemwingie accused the club of doubting his commitment, stealing his loyalty, and simply stalling in an attempt to get more money out of a potential suitor. Even that wasn’t enough to force West Brom’s hand, and so the striker took matters into his own hands.

In a bizarre move, Odemwingie drove himself to Loftus Road on deadline day in an attempt to force the move to QPR through – but as West Brom had not sanctioned the transfer, the London club were forced to lock him out of the ground to avoid falling foul of the laws of the game.

Eventually, the Nigerian returned to West Brom under a dark cloud, and after being disciplined by the club, continued to play for the Baggies until he secured a move to Cardiff City in the next transfer window.

4. Kaka – AC Milan to Manchester City (2009)

Manchester City were reportedly willing to spend £100m on Kaka in 2009

Newly minted with a seemingly unlimited amount of money following the club’s buyout at the hands of the Abu Dhabi Group in the summer of 2008, Manchester City were determined to show the rest of the football world that they meant business, and they immediately flexed their financial muscles by breaking the British transfer fee record to sign Robinho from Real Madrid for £32.5m.

The following January, they attempted to make a move that would’ve been truly jaw-dropping by anyone’s standards. City set their sights on Brazilian forward Kaka – then of AC Milan and widely recognised as one of the best players on the planet – and were seemingly determined to bring him to the Etihad, reportedly offering in excess of £100m for the player.

However, despite City supposedly promising to pay the Brazilian a monstrous £500k per week, the move fell apart when Kaka chose not to push for a move away from Milan. The Serie A club stated that they were delighted to have kept the forward, who told Milan’s television channel that he’d chosen with his heart and hadn’t considered the money.

Kaka would eventually move in the summer of 2009 instead – but rather than heading to Manchester, the Bernabeu was his destination, as Real Madrid parted with €67m to finally prise him away from Milan.

5. Charlie Adam – Blackpool to Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur (2011)

Charlie Adam's moves to Liverpool and Spurs fell apart on deadline day in 2011

Nobody really expected Scottish midfielder Charlie Adam to adapt as well as he did to Premier League life after being promoted with Blackpool in 2009-10, but after playing brilliantly in his first few months in the top flight, making it into the Premier League’s ‘Team of the Week’ on a couple of occasions, he suddenly became a man in demand.

Liverpool were the first club to make their interest in the Scotsman known, and when Adam got wind of this he quickly placed a transfer request in, but the Seasiders were determined not to sell the player who had become both their captain and key man. The Reds put in a £4.5m bid, but it was described as “disgraceful” by Blackpool boss Ian Holloway and quickly knocked back.

Adam was still determined to move though, and for a while it looked like his transfer to Anfield would happen; Liverpool made two further bids, one of £8.5m and one of £10m, but both were turned down by Blackpool, who were steadfast in demanding £14m for the midfielder.

Surprisingly, Tottenham also came close to landing Adam – and apparently had the deal all but done. Exactly how much they bid was unknown, but Spurs boss Harry Redknapp stated that the only thing stopping the move was the fact that Blackpool’s chairman couldn’t get hold of two shareholders to sign some paperwork.

Eventually the transfer window closed and Adam remained at Bloomfield Road – before moving to Liverpool in the summer of 2011 for a fee of £6.75m.