Former Premier League player Noel Whelan believes that Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll will leave the club in the summer if the proposed takeover takes place.
The 31-year-old is currently into his second spell at St James Park after rejoining us on a free transfer from West Ham United last summer.
He became a regular member of our first team starting from the 2008/09 campaign and scored 33 goals before he moved to Liverpool for £35m in January 2011.
After injury-prone stints at both Anfield and West Ham United, the Magpies felt it was the right time to bring him back to the club where he broke through the academy all those years ago. Since then, he has gone on to score 79 goals with four different clubs.
Now the club could be about to enter a new era, as Mike Ashley is preparing to sell us to a Saudi-based consortium for £300m, Public Investment Fund (PIF), backed by Amanda Staveley and the Reuben brothers.
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan believes that Carroll’s stop-start career will mean that he will be released when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Will Andy Carroll be sold?
Yes
No
“He’s not going to be on small wages, he’ll still be commanding a decent wage at Newcastle. As much as he’s got that relationship with the club, sometimes you’ve got to think about the team and the club first rather than just the player.
“You’ve got to put your business head on, go with your head rather than your heart. Unfortunately for Andy, I’m sure he would have wanted more game time and an injury-free season but it seems he’s hampered with them.
He added that it will be demoralising for Carroll but believes that the Magpies simply have to make the right decision during what could be a pivotal time for the football club.
It’s good to be a Magpie. I haven’t been able to say that for some time.
At the same time, it will be unfortunate for Carroll to have to leave the club. Although Whelan hinted that he is on big wages, reports stated that he is on a basic wage of between £20k-£25k, which increases the more he plays.
Having only started four Premier League games all season, I can’t imagine it would be any more than that. From the football club’s perspective, it would be common sense to part ways with Carroll.