Five Premier League players that got away in the January transfer window

By Nick Wright

Image: West Brom's Saido Berahino and Chelsea's Loic Remy stayed at West Brom and Chelsea

Stoke City stole the headlines on Deadline Day with their record £18.3m deal for Porto's Giannelli Imbula, but there were plenty of moves that did not come to fruition.

Loic Remy ended up staying at Stamford Bridge despite weeks of speculation linking him with an exit, while West Brom managed to resist strong interest from Newcastle, Tottenham and Stoke to keep hold of Saido Berahino.

Here, we look at five players left on the shelf after their mooted January transfers hit the buffers…

LOIC REMY (Chelsea)

Rob Dorsett confirms Leicester's failed attempt to sign Loic Remy

Having played just 178 minutes of Premier League football since the start of the season, out-of-favour Chelsea striker Remy became one of the most talked-about targets of the transfer window. Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and his former club Newcastle were reportedly linked with the Frenchman, and on Deadline Day league leaders Leicester were pushing to strike a deal.

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"We were told a loan deal was a possibility for Leicester but the crucial factor was that they had to wait until quite late in the day because Chelsea wanted to know what was happening with [Radamel] Falcao before they would let Loic Remy leave," said Sky Sports News HQ reporter Rob Dorsett.

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"If Falcao was to have his loan cancelled at Chelsea, there was no way they were letting Remy go. In the end, they decided to let Falcao go and Leicester were left frustrated, with not a lot of time in the window to do anything else." To compound matters for the Foxes, Falcao ended up staying at Stamford Bridge.

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RADAMEL FALCAO (Chelsea)

Image: Chelsea's Radamel Falcao was reportedly linked with a late move away from Stamford Bridge

Despite injury problems and poor form, on-loan Chelsea outcast Falcao was reportedly linked with a return to Spain on Deadline Day. Newspaper reports said the Colombian striker was wanted by his former club Atletico Madrid and Gary Neville's Valencia, but Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Guillem Balague insists Falcao's agent, Jorge Mendes, was merely attempting to drum up interest.

"Jose Mendes was trying to sell him," Balague told Sky Sports. "Neither Atletico or Valencia were interested. Valencia couldn't afford him as they have reached the Financial Fair Play limit and Atletico did not even consider it."

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According to the Daily Mail, however, Falcao could yet get secure a lucrative move to Asia, with the Chinese transfer market open until February 26. Juangus Suning, the club who paid £25m for Chelsea's Ramires, are reportedly interested in signing the striker.

SAIDO BERAHINO (West Brom)

Image: West Brom manager Tony Pulis refused to sell striker Saido Berahino

West Brom's Berahino was one of the chief protagonists of the summer transfer window and his future was at the top of the news agenda once again in January. Stoke, Tottenham and Newcastle were his leading suitors, but the Baggies refused to sell, with Sky sources revealing they rejected £21m offers from the Magpies and the Potters in the build-up to Deadline Day.

Sky Sports News HQ's Anton Touloui said West Brom were reluctant to part with Berahino because they were confident of receiving a similar transfer fee in the summer, they didn't want to strengthen a relegation rival, and they would not have had time to bring in a replacement so late in the window.

Berahino stays put

West Brom rejected bids from Newcastle and Stoke to keep hold of Saido Berahino.

Berahino was fined for protesting on Twitter when he was denied a move to Spurs in the summer, but this time he was rather more diplomatic. "Everyone waiting once again for the silly little spoilt boy to make same mistake so here you go," he wrote. "Goodnight all and thanks for the support"

JOSE ENRIQUE (Liverpool)

Newcastle also targeted their former full-back Jose Enrique in a frantic dash to strengthen their squad on Deadline Day. The 30-year-old had a four-year spell at St James' Park before his £5m move to Liverpool in 2011, but he had fallen down the pecking order at Anfield and the Magpies were confident of luring him back.

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Unfortunately for Steve McClaren, however, Enrique failed to agree personal terms. "Liverpool were quite keen to allow Enrique to go but talks between Newcastle and the player himself have broken down," said Sky Sports News HQ's Keith Downie. "It looks as though he won't be coming. That will be a disappointment to Steve McClaren because he's short on left-back options with Paul Dummett and Massadio Haidara both out injured."

PETER ODEMWINGIE (Stoke)

Image: Stoke's Peter Odemwingie was denied a move to Marseille on Deadline Day

Odemwingie became the story of the 2013 January transfer window when he infamously drove from West Brom to QPR in a failed attempt to force through a late transfer to Loftus Road, and three years later there was more Deadline Day frustration for the striker.

Odemwingie, who has played just 73 minutes of Premier League football for Stoke this season, looked set for a move to Marseille, but their offer was rejected by the Potters and the French side ended up signing Steven Fletcher on loan from Sunderland instead.

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Sky Sports News HQ's Alan Irwin was stationed outside the Britannia Stadium. "Stoke have confirmed to me, both Mark Hughes and CEO Tony Scholes, that they've turned down that bid from Marseille," he said. "So as it stands Odemwingie isn't going anywhere."

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