Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has admitted that he did not expect France striker Loic Remy to snub the Magpies at the last minute.
The North-East side were close to snapping up the Marseille forward, but rather than arrive at St James' Park, Remy signed for Queens Park Rangers instead.
"It was a little strange as we had obviously put a lot of work in," BBC Sport quotes Pardew as saying.
"We made a fantastic offer to the player and then he didn't arrive. This club is on a financial footing that is strong but we're still not going to pay silly money."
Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has suggested that Remy switched his preference to QPR for financial reasons.
