Newcastle United went through a difficult period during the ownership of Mike Ashley and have thankfully come out on the other side of it in a much better position, finally attracting and retaining important players to help them compete.
The Ashley era is an unforgettable time for the St James’ Park faithful and for most, the former owner’s handling of players, transfers and the general care invested into the club was non-existent and ultimately a nightmare in comparison to the experience they have had since the takeover.
During the 14 years of frustration and failure, there were many decisions that left a bad taste in the Newcastle supporters’ mouths and one of the most controversial was without a doubt the sale of youth academy ace Andy Carroll.
The Geordie striker became a breakthrough star in the North East tallying up 33 goals and 22 assists before Ashley found an opportunity to cash in on the club’s prodigy and perceived second-coming of legendary goal machine, Alan Shearer.
In January 2011, an unforgettable transfer Deadline Day unfolded when Newcastle fans’ worst fears came true with Carroll making a last-minute move to Liverpool in a £35m deal. Although at the time it caused an uproar on Tyneside, in hindsight the club hit the jackpot financially on the sale.
Where is Andy Carroll now?
It is no secret that Carroll’s move to Anfield was an absolute disaster and was even voted the worst transfer in Premier League history in a survey last year.
Within just 18 months, 58 appearances, 11 goals and six assists, the Gateshead-born forward was swiftly moved onto West Ham United where Carroll settled for the next seven years when his season-long loan in 2012 turned into a permanent £15m deal in the summer of 2013.
In 2019, Carroll returned to St James’ Park to reprise his centre-forward role at the club with former manager Steve Bruce hailing the striker a “local hero” upon his reunion with his boyhood club.
However, the 34-year-old – dubbed “reckless” by Samuel Luckhurst – was unable to meet the high expectations he left behind eight-and-a-half years before – scoring once and registering four assists before leaving the North East for the second time as a free agent.
Since then, Carroll has returned to the Championship with Bruce snapping up his services during his time at West Bromwich Albion and is currently in his second spell at Reading.
There, the colossal forward has managed six goals in 21 outings, while even being shown a red card against Manchester United in the FA Cup.
With that being said, Newcastle supporters will surely always wonder what Carroll could have become if he had remained in the first place, however, when reflecting on his career following the move to Liverpool it is hard to determine whether he could’ve really been the massive influence that they would have hoped for.