The Sports pages of the Sunday Mirror have an article claiming that Newcastle Utd are preparing a shock £15m bid for Andy Carroll. Of course, Newcastle Utd have lost out twice to the Hammers recently where Carroll is concerned, in terms of the orginal loan deal that brought him to the club in 2012-13 and the £15m permanent deal struck last summer. As we know, Carroll’s 2013-14 season was severely disrupted by injury and this ultimately resulted in him missing out on inclusion in the England Squad for the 2014 World Cup Finals. There has already been recent speculation in social media that Carroll reported back for club pre-season training, allegedly, not in the very best of physical conditions. That has not been confirmed and the club have since claimed that Carroll is being nursed in early pre-season as a result of a minor injury.
if this story of an impending Toon bid prove to be true, should the club take the £15m and re-invested it in another striker minus Carroll’s fustrating injury record? Or alternatively, should the club keep faith with Carroll’s ability and accordingly reject any bid received? It begs the key question, can Carroll stay fit and recapture the form that made him such a prospect as a youngster at Newcastle Utd? Or should West Ham grab the £15m fee and just draw a line under the episode? One probable obstacle to a deal being struck could be Sam Allardyce, who places great store in Carroll and sees him as central to his plans. it is unlikley that he will willingly endorse a move. Another is whether Newcastle Utd will be able to match Carroll’s alleged current c.£100,000 plus a week wages? We shall have to wait and see what (if anything) transpires on this one?
Elsewhere, it is also being reported that West Ham are lining up a double loan swoop for 22 year old, Inter-Milan, Algerian International midfielder, Saphir Taider and Malaga’s
Portuguese full-back Vitorino Antunes, 27. If successful, both loan deals will be for the duration of next season and include an option to buy the players next summer. There are also strong rumours that West Ham are interested in taking Wilfred Zaha and/or Ashley Young on loan from Man Utd. A lot will depend upon the new managerial regime at Old Trafford and whether they are identified as surplus to requirements next season?
As well as Taider, we are also being linked with another Inter-Milan midfielder, Esteban Cambiasso. There is conjecture that Sam Allardyce is trying to clinch the Bosman signing of Cambiasso with ‘the financial carrot’ of an attractive £50,000 a week, two year deal. However, there is competition for the 34 year old veteran’s signature, in the form of Aston Villa and Valencia. Cambiasso is a former Argentine international and a defensive midfielder, with a good range of passing ability. If we were to sign him then that would be a clear indicatior, following the signing of Kouyate and Poyet, that a 4-2-1-3 formation that is going to figure prominently in our tactics next season. This deal could also be seen as an alternative move to sign an experienced ‘older head’ in midfield, in the aftermath of our abortive Bosman bid for Gareth Barry.
Finally, Stephen Henderson has now left the club (by mutual consent) and Raphael Speigel has gone out on loan to Crawley Town. That would seem to indicate that another keeper could very well be signed. Additionally, there are widespread reports linking us with either a c.£5m bid, or a season long loan, for Arsenal’s promising young right-back, Carl Jenkinson. Again, this might suggest that an exit could very well be on the cards for Guy Demel, with either Hamburg or Leicester City being his destination in a possible £1m deal?
SJ. Chandos.