George Overhill

Thu 2 February 2023 19:16, UK

Omari Hutchinson’s failed loan move to West Brom on deadline day occurred after Swansea’s late move for Karlan Grant confused matters, The Athletic reports.

The Chelsea youngster was set for the Hawthorns but saw the move fail at the 11th hour, just as fellow Stamford Bridge wide man Hakim Ziyech’s move to PSG did, but unlike the French giants the Baggies apparently bare no ill will towards the Blues or the Swans as a result.

Carlos Corberan wanted Hutchinson in addition to Marc Albrighton but had to move Grant on first, so the fact that Swansea waited until the final hours of the window to make their move for the Albion forward helped time to run out on the window with Chelsea also heavily tied up in the British record deal to sign Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.

The Athletic reported on Thursday (2 February): “To bring Hutchinson in, West Brom had to shift out their forward, Karlan Grant. Swansea had spent all month pursuing Grant, but left it to the final stages of the window before making their move, which merely served to confuse matters further.

“West Brom also wanted Leicester’s Marc Albrighton, whom they did eventually sign on loan. Corberan was still keen to secure Hutchinson only to find progressing that deal was complicated by Chelsea also working on the Fernandez and Ziyech moves, as well as the reality that clubs in the EFL cannot apply for a deal sheet to give them more time. The deadline was 11pm, and it was not met.

“Unlike PSG, West Brom bear no ill will toward Chelsea or Swansea for how things went awry.”

Ridiculous

Why so many football clubs decide to wait an entire month to then attempt to scramble through business in a matter of hours while panicking ahead of the deadline will probably remain a mystery for as long as there is a transfer window.

Multi-million, and sometimes multi-billion, pound businesses behaving like students who have an essay due in doesn’t seem like a very efficient way to operate in the transfer market and yet it happens every year.

West Brom have now had at least four loan deals collapse on the two deadline days this season, with Steven Alzate and Josh Onomah both failing to arrive at the Hawthorns on 1 September.

At least this time around it appears to have largely been the responsibility of Swansea and Chelsea for the backlog, although the result is frustratingly the same.

Chelsea have gained numerous headlines with their transfer business this winter, and it certainly looks like they were so focused on securing Fernandez that they dropped the ball elsewhere.

But if the Baggies’ Championship rivals wanted Grant they could have easily had him if they had come forward even a day earlier, so the entire operation will leave fans of the three clubs involved frustrated.

At least Albrighton arrived in the midst of it all, although the Chelsea wonderkid might have been the more exciting capture.

In other West Brom news, a big money blow derailed another January deal that looked like getting done.