What happened when the £100,000-per-week footballer popped into Louis Vuitton for a spot of retail therapy? He signed for Crystal Palace.

London’s fashion quarter set the scene for, arguably, the most surprising January transfer so far.

Last summer Emmanuel Adebayor dropped into the New Bond Street branch of the French fashion house intent on splashing the cash.

Emmanuel Adebayor's journey to Crystal Palace started with a chance meeting in Louis Vuitton

The Togo striker was frozen out by Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs but was not in a rush to find a new club

Adebayor did not want to leave his London home and so turned down a move to Aston Villa

By chance; a prominent Crystal Palace board member was also perusing Louis Vuitton’s summer range.

The pair got chatting. At the time, it was no secret Adebayor was on the lookout for a new club. Likewise, Palace, were in the market for a new centre forward.

Frozen out at Tottenham, manager Mauricio Pochettino had made it abundantly clear Adebayor’s chances of first-team football were non-existent.

He was allowed to leave Spurs’ training HQ early at the end of last season, even though the squad had games to play and were preparing for a post-season tour of the Far East and Australia.

The message was re-affirmed to Adebayor at the start of pre-season. The only way Adebayor had a future at Spurs was if Pochettino left.

So, in the middle of the shop floor, the Eagles official made his pitch - broaching the subject of a potential move to Selhurst Park with Adebayor.

The striker's move to place allows him to keep his family at their base in Golders Green

Palace have agreed to pay for a chauffeur to drive Adebayor to training as he doesn't enjoy the London roads

It didn’t happen, of course; Adebayor was too far down the line with his protracted switch to Aston Villa.

Having held talks with Tim Sherwood, with whom he forged a good relationship during the manager’s stint in charge at Spurs, Adebayor was odds-on to join Villa. He’d even taken a tour of the club’s Bodymoor Heath training complex.

In reality, however, Adebayor was never convinced. Prior to the move he analysed the Villa squad and feared they’d struggle. A wise assumption in retrospect.

The deal on the table wasn’t quite to the forward’s liking either; the pay-structure too incentive-heavy.

The real deal-breaker, though, was the thought of leaving London. Adebayor and his family are settled in Golders Green; they didn’t want to leave.

Sherwood knew it, too; the then Villa boss tried to strike a deal with Adebayor that would see him commute from London at the start of the week before staying in the Midlands 48 hours before a match.

When he joined Tottenham on loan in 2011-12 Adebayor scored 17 league goals under Harry Redknapp

Adebayor still feels he has something to prove in the Premier League after an up-and-down career

Ultimately, the deal broke down; Adebayor unprepared to leave London behind.

Similarly, at the time, the Togolese had reservations about the qualities of Palace’s squad as he pondered a switch to Selhurst Park.

His fears, this time, have been largely unfounded. Palace - despite a recent blip - are on an upward curve under Alan Pardew.

A switch to West Ham, which wouldn’t require him to uproot, was the move he really wanted.

The move looked possible on summer transfer deadline morning; but the deal collapsed - Slaven Bilic had already used up his allocated domestic loans with Carl Jenkinson and Victor Moses.

With the transfer window closed, Adebayor was in limbo. Following discussions with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, both parties reached an agreement for his contract to be terminated; Spurs agreeing to continue paying his £100,000-per-week wages until June when his contract expires.

Palace's new striker hasn't scored in the Premier League since netting against Newcastle in October 2014

Connor Wickham is the only Crystal Palace striker to score a goal this season – a penalty against Stoke

There was talk of a move to Watford; while Adebayor himself believed a move to Chelsea or Manchester United was not beyond the realms of possibility.

But six months after that chance meeting at Louis Vuitton, Adebayor has signed for Palace.

Agreeing the deal was far from easy; Palace preferred a short-term deal until the end of the season; while Adebayor was adamant he would not sign for anything less than an 18-month contract.

The compromised agreement has seen the 31-year-old sign on what is essentially an 18-month contract, but, pertinently, a break clause has been inserted into the deal.

Palace will pay Adebayor £70,000 per week; while Tottenham will make up the difference to ensure he receives the £100,000 per week he is contractually obliged to receive.

Chairman Steve Parish is doing all he can to make Adebayor feel as comfortable as possible.

Adebayor dislikes driving in London, so the club have organised a private chauffeur to ferry him to the club’s Beckenham HQ.

Adebayor refused huge sums to play in China and those close to him say he is very motivated to succeed

The 31-year-old is targeting Didier Drogba's Premier League goal scoring record for African players

In the long-term, Adebayor will relocate nearer to the training ground; Palace in the process of finding him an apartment.

If Pardew can coax the best of Adebayor, then the £70,000-per-week will be money well spent. It’s a big if, of course.

But the early signs are promising; he scored a stunner in his first training session yesterday - his infectious enthusiasm already rubbing off on his team-mates.

Pardew is delighted to have finally landed Adebayor and believes the striker can score at least six goals this season.

There is reason for caution, though. Adebayor has not played a Premier League game since May 3, 2015 - a six-minute cameo against former club Manchester City.

His last top-flight start was on November 2, 2014, substituted in place of Harry Kane during a 2-1 win over Aston Villa.

New Crystal Palace signing Emmanuel Adebayor (right) poses with team-mate Yannick Bolasie on Wednesday

Adebayor’s last goal came in a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle on October 26, 2014.

Rightly or wrongly; Adebayor’s reputation precedes him: a modern-day football mercenary more obsessed with increasing his bank balance than appearance tally.

Speak to those close to Adebayor, however, they’ll speak of his motivation - a determination to prove he’s still among the best in the business.

During his six-month hiatus; Adebayor has split his time between London, Paris, Togo and Ghana.

But he’s not been idle. He’s kept fit, sticking religiously to a gruelling fitness regime to ensure he can hit the ground running once he finds a new club.

Adebayor has shown his commitment to keep playing by keeping in shape during his time away from the game

As January approached he upped the ante; completing regular double sessions - consisting of cardiovascular training in the morning followed by ball work in the afternoon.

He was so serious about getting into shape he hired his own personal trainer. He still stays in contact with his fitness guru; holding regular conferences via FaceTime.

But why the Premier League? Surely he could earn more money elsewhere? True. He was promised a fortune to end his playing days in China or the Middle East.

Indeed, Adebayor was bombarded with daily phone calls from agents promising him a hefty payday.

Adebayor, though, believes he has unfinished business in the Premier League.

He wants to score the nine goals required to overtake Didier Drogba’s tally of 104 to become the Premier League’s all-time leading African goalscoring.