In perhaps the most bizarre story of the January transfer window, The Guardian recently reported that Liverpool offered Andy Carroll to Manchester City in a straight swap deal for Argentine striker Carlos Tevez. The story reads as a direct acknowledgement from both clubs that both forwards have given the respective clubs a torrid time as of late, but their willingness to trade for yet another troublesome striker is nothing short of bizarre.
Bizarre at least from Liverpool’s point of view – it was the Reds who were reported to have proposed the swap deal in the first place.
If there’s any truth to this story, then it’s hugely disheartening to see Kenny Dalglish look to unload Andy Carroll after just a year with the club. Yes he came with huge expectations, expectations that he’s fail to fulfill, but it’s not Andy’s fault the Reds were willing to splash £35m on a player who only had half-a-season’s worth of good football under his belt. The fact is, he was able to showcase his talents at Newcastle but hasn’t been able to do so with Liverpool. Questions have to be asked as to why Carroll has yet to make at Anfield as it’s clear the answer isn’t that ‘he just doesn’t have the talent’.
On the flip side, it’s easy to see why City turned down this swap deal offer. What interest should they have in a striker who hasn’t proved himself at the top level of the Premier League. Roberto Mancini isn’t sniffing around for goal-shy strikers this January – he has the money to go after establish world-class names who can offer his City squad some real pedigree.
Whilst City are desperate to get rid of Tevez, Mancini is no mug and what’s more he can afford to wait out the situation and see if a big bid comes in. At the moment City are in no real rush to sell and hold all the cards in what has proven to be a long and drawn out transfer saga.
So Inter Milan, AC Milan and PSG can all cease their interest in the Argentine forward – it makes little difference to the City hierarchy. The only man it really affects is Tevez himself, who is surely itching for a game.
It’s even more bizarre than the story that clogged up News feeds earlier this summer which claimed Liverpool had offered Carroll back to Newcastle for just a fraction of the £35m they originally spent on him. At the time Newcastle needed another striker and obviously can’t afford to scout the globe for the world’s finest talent in the same way Man City can.
If Andy Carroll survives the January transfer window with Liverpool, surely it’s time for Kenny Dalglish and his team to get behind him in a big way. This may require bending the Liverpool system around Andy, but surely this is a price worth paying should he rediscover the form that came so effortlessly with Newcastle. One things for sure – Kenny can’t let Andy stagnate any further.
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Haven’t you clowns wrung enough air time column length out of this stupid story. The English press is the laughing stock of the world.
Perhaps it’s about time that Andy buck up and begin to play harder and practice with intent to actually get “better”! His teammates have been quoted that he is the worst player during training. Not a good sign for somebody looking for his best form!
The reason why these stories regarding Man City seem “bizarre” and the ones regarding Newcastle seem “even more bizarre” is because they are totally untrue. If it smells like a pile of Dog mess it probably is, so do the smart thing and avoid it and leave it for someone else to pick up Harry dude!