Andy Carroll: The Rollercoaster Journey from Premier League to Ligue 2
LONDON, ENGLAND: Andy Carroll of West Ham celebrates scoring the first goal during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Leicester City at Boleyn Ground.
Andy Carroll – From Record Signing to Ligue 2
Andy Carroll is finalizing a transfer to Ligue 2 side Amiens FC in France. Carroll has had a whirlwind of a career right off the bat. For such a dominant striker, Carroll has mostly failed to live up to the standards set by his peers. He was supposed to be the next Alan Shearer but he ended up way short of that lofty expectation.
How did he fare in his career?
The Rise and Fall at Newcastle and Liverpool
All-in-all Carroll scored 31 goals in 80 appearances for Newcastle. Carroll became the youngest-ever player to represent Newcastle in a European competition when he made a substitute appearance against Palermo as a 17-year-old.
In between his Newcastle career, Carroll spent a season on loan at Preston. Carroll’s most productive season for Newcastle came in the 2009-10 season when the Geordies were playing in the Championship. He scored 17 league goals as a 19-year-old and that feat earned him the famed no.9 shirt at Newcastle.
Carroll spent only half a season back in the Premier League with Newcastle before Liverpool came calling. Liverpool paid a whopping £35m for him, making Carroll Liverpool’s record signing and the eighth most expensive player in the world.
Carroll never got going at Liverpool and could not find consistency mainly due to nagging injuries. Still, he created some great moments and memories in his limited time at the club. He scored two memorable goals against Manchester City in a 3-1 win.
Despite not fitting into Liverpool’s system, Carroll’s second season at Liverpool was his best for the club. Carroll won the first trophy of his young career as Liverpool beat Cardiff City 2-1 in the League Cup final. Carroll headed in a late, late winner at Blackburn with Liverpool down to 10 men.
Carroll also helped Liverpool oust their bitter rivals Everton from the FA Cup as the Reds ran out 2-1 winners in the Semi-final and he also scored Liverpool’s consolation goal in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
Carroll scored only 6 league goals for Liverpool in 44 appearances.
The West Ham Years: Glimpses of Brilliance Amidst Injuries
West Ham was Carroll’s best period as a professional. He joined West Ham initially on a one-year loan before turning it into a permanent one a year later for a reported £15m. He scored seven goals in 24 appearances during his loan period, which tempted West Ham to turn the move into a permanent deal.
Carroll’s permanent spell started like his other spells, injured. It was a very stop-start career at West Ham. It was still punctuated with some quality performances. His performance against Sunderland in the 2013-14 season was one of the best of his career.
In 2014-15, Carroll scored the 50th league goal of his career against Swansea before surgery cut short another promising season for the lanky forward. In 2015-16, he scored a hattrick against Arsenal and he also scored against his former club Liverpool that season.
In 2016-17, Carroll scored the self-proclaimed “best goal of his career” against Crystal Palace with a Scissor-kick. His final season at West Ham was again curtailed due to injury and he was released by West Ham. Carroll scored 26 goals in 104 appearances for West Ham.
The Twilight Years: From his Boyhood Club Return to Ligue 2
Carroll’s return to Newcastle was supposed to be a romantic one but yet again he barely played despite being there for two seasons. He couldn’t find any sort of consistency while only managing a single goal in 37 appearances.
Carroll signed for Championship side Reading on a short-term contract but he did manage to make an impact. He was influential for Reading as their style of play suited Carroll to the T. He scored 2 goals in 8 appearances.
Impressed by the impact Carroll was having on Reading, West Brom signed Carroll on a short-term contract as well. Carroll scored 3 goals in 15 appearances for the Baggies.
Andy Carroll moved back to his comfort zone as he was now signed for the struggling Reading side. Despite scoring 9 goals in 31 appearances for the Royals, he could not save the club from relegation as the club slid into League One. Reading and Carroll weren’t helped by the points deduction due to financial irregularities.
Andy Carroll has had a very up-and-down career, he was seen as a certain superstar in the making, but injuries and his lifestyle failed him to reach that potential. It will always be the case of what could have been for this Geordie.
