Chelsea defender Jake Clarke-Salter saw a move to Birmingham City fall through on deadline day.
The Sun says he was poised to join the Championship side on loan.
But scans revealed that Carl Jenkinson, on-loan from Arsenal, had dislocated his shoulder and would be sidelined for an extended period.
And forced Birmingham boss Harry Redknapp to instead go for a right-back as he searched for a replacement for the England international.
He eventually opted to splash out £3million on Brentford's Maxime Colin to fill the void left by the full-back.