He might be being semi-courted by West Ham supporting WWE boss Triple H as a possible future star (he isn't, but why spoil the magic, eh?), but if West Ham genuinely want to offload Geordie striker Andy Carroll this winter window, they're going to have to be more realistic about their valuation of him. According to the Mirror, both Newcastle (shock horror) and Sunderland are interested in bringing the big Northerner back home(ish), where his new cornrow hairstyle will presumably go down really well in his local social club. But they're saying that the Hammers - who need to sell to raise cash and invest in the window themselves - want to make a profit on their £15m record signing to the tune of £18m. That's almost £20m for a player who has scored 11 goals in 41 appearances. So presumably Jamie Vardy is worth £700m or something? Carroll has regained form and fitness, but even at full pelt he was never near the money Liverpool paid Newcastle for him, and asking for that much now is just brazen. And more importantly, though both the North East sides are in the mire currently, would it not be too much for them to invest in a player who still amounts to a gamble? Sunderland's interest might not amount to anything, of course, because last week West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan said he'd reject the Black Cats and that he'd "only be vulnerable to an approach from hometown club Newcastle." He might also not wish to do Allardyce any favours after he insisted on keeping faith in Carroll when Wilfried Bony was available for £8m. Brilliant bit of foresight that. His current manager Slaven Bilic wants more from him, if his recent quotes are anything to go by:
He looks really good and fit and its all about him now. Is he going to maintain and progress and look after himself, or is he going to go the other way? He has history in that and Im not his dad, I cant demand things from him. But Im expecting that to be fair.
Anyway, so we're back to the usual merry-go-round of whether Newcastle will actually try and sign Andy Carroll again. He'd be welcome - as any striker who knows how to score would be - but whether the club would be willing to spend that much on him and match his current wages remains to be seen. Just imagine how hard the frontline of him and Mitrovic would be though... Terrifying. Would you have Andy Carroll back for £18m? Share your reactions below in the comments thread.