Jonas Olsson is defending Peter Odemwingie

West Brom defender Jonas Olsson today came to the defence of Peter Odemwingie as talks to broker peace with the want-away striker reached a critical point.

The Baggies were hoping to come to an agreement today to allow the rebel forward to return to Steve Clarke's squad for the rest of the season – starting with Monday's televised Premier League trip to Liverpool.

But talks continued in a bid the thrash out a compromise ahead of head coach Clarke's 3pm pre-match press conference.

The discussions went on as Olsson urged Hawthorns supporters to understand "the background" to Odemwingie's deadline-day drive to Queens Park Rangers - a trip that put the Nigeria international on collision course with Albion bosses.

Odemwingie, who is back in training, is adamant he has legitimate grievances with the Baggies over a dispute last season with previous boss Roy Hodgson over an ankle injury and chairman Jeremy Peace's public criticisms last week.

And Olsson has insisted the row over Odemwingie's 'unauthorised' trip to Loftus Road is not clear-cut.

"You have to understand the background," the centre-back told the Swedish media. "The newspapers wrote that he travelled down to London without permission.

"I do not know what happened, but everything is more or less clear and there were five or six hours left of the window.

"You have limited time to go down, fix a medical and sort out personal contracts. Everything can go quickly.

"It was the last day of the window and he went down with the belief that everything was ready. You have to see the background to it.

"I think the focus should not only be on him. It should be on an advisor as well. Everything must go quickly and sometimes people get it wrong.

"Personally, I am very happy that he will remain. He is a nice guy and a really good football player that we will need in the future."