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Liverpool’s former record signing did not want to change clubs (Photo: Getty)
Liverpool may have broken their transfer record Andy Caroll to Anfield – but the first England international was not very keen on the move at the time.
Made his debut for his hometown club Newcastle Just 17 years old in November 2006, Carroll quickly stood out with his long, flowing ponytail and raw, physical talents.
The striker scored his first goal for the club a few seasons later and became a more prominent part of the Newcastle squad in 2008–09 as the Magpies were relegated from the top flight.
But Carroll continued to grow in confidence and scored 17 goals in 39 games to help his side win the championship and return to the league. Premier League the first time I asked.
Carroll was handed the club’s number nine shirt over the summer and began to spread further after a blistering start to the 2010–11 season, which saw Carroll score eleven goals in his first nineteen Premier League appearances.
This talent for scoring started to see big clubs circling and after a manic January period that saw them lose Fernando Torres to rivals Chelsea, Liverpool rushed to sign Carroll for £35 million on deadline day.
The Englishman arrived alongside Luis Suarez, who the Reds signed from Ajax for just £22.7 million on the same day.
Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez enjoyed different fortunes after signing for Liverpool in January 2011 (Picture: Getty)
But while the Uruguayan went on to become one of the club’s best ever strikers, Carroll endured two disappointing years at the club.
After scoring just 11 goals in 58 games in all competitions, the striker was eventually loaned out to West Ham in 2012 and remained there the following season after both clubs agreed a permanent contract worth around £15 million.
Since then, Carroll has enjoyed a nomadic career, with spells at Newcastle as well as West Brom, Reading and Amiens.
Carroll currently plies his trade in the French fourth tier with Bordeaux and admitted his move to Liverpool was a shock to everyone, including himself.
Andy Carroll scored just 11 goals for Liverpool before leaving for West Ham (Picture: Getty)
‘I had just bought my dream house in Newcastle. “I was about to sign a new contract, but then it’s taken away from me and you’re gone,” he recalled, telling the Daily mail.
‘To be honest, I didn’t really know what was going on. I didn’t really want to go, but you’re told you have to go.
‘It came out on Sky Sports News that £30 million for Tottenham’s Andy Carroll was turned down. Then it says Liverpool have accepted £35 million. I went in to see the manager, he called the owner and the owner said “Yes, you’re out”.
“There was a lot of media outside the training ground so I jumped in the back of Kevin Nolan’s car, left my car on the training ground and we sat there in his cinema room and all the news was about me.
Carroll now plays in the French fourth tier for Bordeaux (Picture: Getty)
“I’m sitting there thinking, ‘What’s going on?’ I get a lot of calls from my parents, my friends saying, “What’s going on?” I didn’t know what was going on and then I got a call from my agent saying, “The helicopter is there, we have to go.”
‘I had no clothes, no bag, nothing. That was me. Within an hour I was gone. I had just bought a house. I’ve been working on it for a week. I didn’t even live in it!’
Carroll had just settled at his boyhood club and had no desire to leave St James’ Park. He recalls hoping his injury would lead to failed medical treatment, which would scupper the deal.
“I actually wanted to stay, but from the moment Liverpool made this incredible offer, I found myself in a helicopter on the last day of the transfer window, without really understanding why,” he said. L’Equipe.
“When I got hurt (at the time), I remember thinking, ‘I hope I don’t pass the medical exam.’
But despite his initial reservations and the unfortunate way his Liverpool career panned out, Carroll insisted he would not go back and rewrite history if given the chance.
‘Would I have preferred to stay in Newcastle? It’s my home club all day,” he said the Athletics.
‘But I don’t regret going to Liverpool, I don’t regret anything. It has made me who I am, it has made me stronger. I wouldn’t change a thing.’
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