It
wouldn’t be an understatement to say that Andy Carroll has not had the most
comfortable of times since his January 2011 move to Liverpool, although signs
of promise have certainly surfaced as the 23-year old settles into his new
home.
With
the latest uncertainties looming over the future of the big Geordie forward, I
wonder what lies ahead for the former Newcastle hitman. With just 11 goals in
his 45 games for them Reds, the 35 million pounds man is turning out to be one
of the biggest flops in the premier league history.
Carroll
struggled to settle after his transfer from Newcastle and would regularly
misjudge flick-ons and struggle for his touch when playing with his back to
goal. At times, he didn’t even look like a Premier League footballer, let alone
a Liverpool footballer.
His
confidence was drained and, like all goal scorers, his performance suffered and
the new game plan proposed by Brendan Rogers will obviously not fit the British
striker.
Staying
put at Anfield will mean he will be surplus to retirement. The increasing
speculation about his exit increased when Borini was officially unveiled as a
Liverpool player. Brendan Rogers loves to play the 4-3-3 formation with 3 pacy
attackers. There is obviously no space for Carroll in a fast frontline that he
is planning.
Although
Carroll kind of impressed at the Euros in the only game he started (at least he
scored a goal) it doesn’t mean he will play under Rogers because of the kind of
philosophy he is trying to implement. The big striker needs to take a bold step
that could either make or mare his career.
Furthermore,
the latest interest in signing Dempsey and Tello amongst others only casts more
doubts to the No 9’s future at Anfield.
A return to Newcastle looks very likely with his former club reportedly
willing to pay as much as 18 million pounds to secure his services, half of
what Liverpool paid to sign him a year ago. West ham and Fulham have also shown
interest but no official offer has been tabled so far.
Newcastle
would be hoping that the emotional pull of a return to his native North East
would give them the trump card in this battle. With Cisse and Ba potentially
going to the Africa Cup of Nations next January and February, Pardew has been
looking to bolster his attack all summer.
So
where does Andy Carroll go from here? Will Brendan Rodgers give him another
chance to prove himself? Does he go to Upton Park to help West Ham consolidate
their place in the Premier League, and link up with an old friend in the
process? Or make a return to Tyneside?
What
do you think? Will Carroll stay or leave??
By Oluwole Ola
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wolexis
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oluwole.ola
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