Odjidja-Ofoe: What next for Everton's nearly man?

Everton thought they had signed Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe on deadline day, only for FIFA to block the transfer days later.

Who is he and what happened?

Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe could turn out to be the one that got away for Everton, even though there will be future opportunities to try to bring him in.

Everton claimed to have filed all the paperwork with the Premier League for the loan deal, and despite the backing of the league itself, FIFA blocked it.

So Odjidja-Ofoe remains at Club Brugges, the club where he has spent three seasons of his career.

He is a Belgian midfielder, highly rated and a full international, even though he has not firmly established himself in the setup as yet, with competition for places intense thanks to the central midfield talents of Fellaini, Dembele, Witsel and Defour.

Playing in the Premier League would have given him the opportunity to showcase what he can do on a grander stage, and at 23 the timing would have been ideal for him.

As a teenager he was tipped for the top early on, and after just a handful of games for Anderlecht he was signed by Bundesliga side Hamburg.

However the transfer proved too much too early on and he never established himself, and was sold back to Belgium in 2009 to Brugges, where he has begun to fulfil his potential.

Odjidja-Ofoe is a defensive midfielder, who has an eye for goal too. He scored in Bruges' unsuccessful Champions League qualifier earlier this season, and is likely to now feature in their Europa League campaign, which will see them take on Newcastle home and away.

There was a permanent option included in the loan switch, and unless Everton appeal against FIFA's decision and are successful, will have to wait until January to bring him in.

They may face competition too, with Fulham also reported to be interested in him at one stage on deadline day, and as their surprise acquisition of Dimitar Berbatov proved, they cannot be counted out.

With him in with a chance of playing in the Europa League game at St James' Park, scouts will be in attendance from a number of Premier League clubs, knowing full well that he is available for transfer.

Everton will have to act swiftly to agree a future deal for when the transfer window re-opens, otherwise they may lose out on him altogether.

Are you disappointed the move has been called off? Or do Everton have enough options in midfield for now?

Dan Coombs

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Dan Coombs is a writer who is keen to embrace the internet revolution. He first started writing for us in June 2011 and commenced his new role as Sports Editor in February 2012.

As a trained journalist he has met famous faces from Mr T to Boris Johnson. He once featured in an England World Cup music video too, but it did not make the charts.

He grew up wanting to be a Formula 1 driver, but it looks like this dream has passed him by. Instead, he hopes you enjoy reading his writing on our site, as we seek to debate the day's sporting hot topics.