Andy Carroll
Andrew Thomas Carroll is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for National League South club Dagenham & Redbridge. He has played in the Premier League and English Football League for Newcastle United, Reading, Liverpool, West Ham United, and West Bromwich Albion, and in Ligue 2 for Amiens. He played nine matches for England between 2010 and 2012, scoring twice, including one goal at UEFA Euro 2012.
Carroll began his professional career with Newcastle United in 2006, before spending a brief period on loan with Preston North End, during which time he scored his first league goal. He established himself as a regular in the Newcastle first team by 2008, and following Newcastle's relegation from the Premier League to the Championship in 2009, scored 17 goals in 39 appearances to help Newcastle finish first in the league, earning immediate promotion in the process. The following season he scored 11 goals in 19 appearances, before leaving for Liverpool on transfer deadline day in January 2011, signing for a fee of £35 million, at the time the record for a British footballer.
Carroll struggled for goals at Liverpool, moving on a season-long loan to West Ham United in 2012, made permanent a year later for a fee of £15 million. He spent six injury-impacted years at West Ham, and was released in 2019 at the end of his contract. Carroll then re-signed for Newcastle, spending two years at the club until being released at the end of his contract in 2021. Carroll then moved to Reading on a short term deal leaving the club in August 2023.
Club career
Newcastle United
2006–07
Carroll, an occasional scorer in Newcastle United's reserve team, signed his first professional contract with the club in July 2006. He made his first-team debut on 2 November 2006 at the age of 17 years and 300 days in a 1–0 UEFA Cup win over Palermo, coming on as a late substitute for Nolberto Solano. In doing so, he became the youngest ever player to represent Newcastle.He made his FA Cup debut on 17 January 2007, appearing as substitute for the last ten minutes in the 5–1 home defeat by Birmingham City. On 25 February 2007, Carroll made his Premier League debut for Newcastle, coming on as a substitute in the 87th minute in the 1–0 defeat by Wigan Athletic, almost scoring in the process; only a good save from Wigan goalkeeper John Filan prevented him from scoring his first Newcastle goal.
In 2007, he was the recipient of the Wor Jackie Milburn Trophy, awarded every year to the rising star of North-East football, chosen amongst current Newcastle players.
2007–08
On 29 July 2007, Carroll scored his first senior goal with a left-foot shot in a 2–0 win over Juventus in a friendly match. After the match, Carroll received praise from Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who tipped Carroll to have a big future.On 14 August 2007, Carroll began a six-month loan with Preston North End, and made his debut for them in the League Cup against Morecambe on the same day. Carroll received his first red card of his professional career playing for Preston against Scunthorpe United on 18 September. He scored his first Championship goal, and his first English league goal, against Leicester City on 6 November.
2008–09
Carroll made his first appearance for Newcastle in the 2008–09 season on 20 October, coming on as a substitute for Shola Ameobi at home to Manchester City. Carroll scored his first competitive goal for Newcastle on his first ever home start with a header against West Ham United in a 2–2 draw on 10 January 2009. He signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract on 12 March 2009, in theory keeping him at Newcastle until 2012.2009–10
Following Newcastle's relegation, and the departures of first-team strikers, Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins, Carroll was paired with Shola Ameobi in attack for Newcastle at the start of the new season. His first league goal in the Championship came on 16 September 2009 against Blackpool with a header. By 2010, Carroll was playing almost every match, in a new strike partnership with Peter Løvenkrands. This partnership accounted for more than half of the club's goals in 2010. Carroll finished the season as Newcastle's top scorer, with 19 goals in all competitions, 17 in the league.2010–11
Carroll was given squad number 9 for the 2010–11 season, a number with great significance for Newcastle United supporters, as it has been worn in the past for Newcastle by the likes of Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer. Carroll scored his first career hat-trick against Aston Villa in their 6–0 win in the Premier League on 22 August 2010. Carroll captained Newcastle for the first time on 3 October 2010 when he came on as a substitute for Kevin Nolan against Manchester City. In October 2010, Carroll signed a new five-year contract, on paper keeping him at the club until 2015. Carroll scored Newcastle's third in a 3–1 victory over Liverpool at St James' Park on 11 December 2010, with a low 25-yard drive.Liverpool
2010–11
On 31 January 2011, Liverpool placed a bid of £30 million for Carroll, which was rejected. Newcastle then accepted a bid of £35 million and, following the agreement of personal terms and a medical, the transfer was completed shortly before the 11:00 pm deadline.Carroll insisted he was forced out of Newcastle, but United said he had submitted a transfer request after they turned down Liverpool's £30 million bid. Liverpool confirmed that Carroll would wear the number 9 jersey previously worn by Fernando Torres, who left Anfield for Chelsea on the same evening for £50 million. The transfer made Carroll the eighth overall most expensive footballer at the time, and also the most expensive British footballer at the time. He also became the second most expensive footballer playing for a British club, after Torres. However, due to an injury he sustained while with Newcastle, it was announced that Carroll would have to wait some time before his Liverpool debut.
Carroll finally made his Liverpool debut as a substitute in the 3–1 win against Manchester United on 6 March 2011. On 10 March, he appeared in his first European match for Liverpool in a 1–0 loss at Braga in the UEFA Europa League, appearing as a substitute after half-time. In the return leg a week later, he made his first Liverpool start, although the match finished 0–0, leading to Liverpool going out of the competition losing 1–0 on aggregate. On 20 March, he made his first Premier League start for Liverpool at the Stadium of Light in a 2–0 victory against Sunderland. On 11 April, Carroll scored his first goals for Liverpool in a 3–0 victory against Manchester City at Anfield, scoring his first with a long-range strike and his second with a header.
2011–12
On 24 August 2011, he scored his first goal of the new season with a 20-yard drive against Exeter City to make the score 3–0 in the second round of the League Cup. On 1 October 2011, he scored his first league goal of the 2011–12 season during a 2–0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park. His third goal of the season came in a 2–0 win away at West Bromwich Albion. He scored his first goal of 2012 in a 5–1 third-round FA Cup victory against Oldham Athletic. He would go on to create the Dirk Kuyt goal that would secure victory in the 88th minute over Manchester United in the fourth round of the FA Cup on 28 January, before marking the first anniversary of his signing with Liverpool with his fifth goal of the season in a 3–0 victory away at Wolverhampton Wanderers on 31 January. He later scored, and set up teammate Luis Suárez, during Liverpool's 6–1 thrashing of Brighton & Hove Albion in the fifth round of the FA Cup.On 26 February, he won his first trophy with Liverpool as they won the League Cup, beating Cardiff City in the final. On 10 April, he headed an injury-time winner against Blackburn Rovers to end Liverpool's run of four matches without a win. Four days later, he headed in another late winner, this time in a 2–1 victory against Everton in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, to take Liverpool through to the final on his 50th appearance for Liverpool. Carroll described his match-winning goal as "the best feeling ever", with teammate Jamie Carragher saying the goal was "worth £35 million in itself" and that Carroll would "be remembered forever". He also scored in the final, which Liverpool lost 2–1 to Chelsea.
West Ham United
2012–13
On 30 August 2012, it was agreed that Carroll would spend the 2012–13 season on loan to fellow Premier League club West Ham United, who were newly promoted to the division at the time. Liverpool initially wanted a £17 million option for a permanent transfer written into the loan deal, but dropped the demand to facilitate the deal, and West Ham ultimately paid a £2 million loan arrangement fee and also all of Carroll's £80,000-a-week Liverpool wages.Carroll made his debut on 1 September, setting-up two goals in a 3–0 home win against Fulham. He scored his first goal on 25 November 2012 in a 3–1 away defeat against Tottenham Hotspur. After making his first start since November due to injury, Carroll scored the only goal in a home win against Swansea City on 2 February 2013. Carroll ended the loan spell with seven goals in 24 appearances.
2013–14
On 21 May 2013, West Ham and Liverpool agreed a fee of around £15 million to make the loan move permanent, pending Carroll agreeing to the move, and then to personal terms. Carroll signed a six-year contract with West Ham on 19 June 2013 for a then club record transfer fee of £15 million.Carroll started the 2013–14 season injured with a heel problem picked up in the final match of the previous season. He made his first appearance of the season on 12 January 2014, as a substitute in the 72nd minute of a 2–0 victory over Cardiff, assisting Mark Noble for West Ham's second goal. On 31 March, he was named man of the match by Sky Sports for his performance in a 2–1 win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in which he scored one and assisted the other of the Hammers' goals. Carroll ended the 2013–14 Premier League season with two goals from 18 appearances.