Former Newcastle United team-mate Joey Barton has indicated that Andy Carroll could have returned to the Premier League with Wolves before Diego Costa’s arrival at Molineux, speaking via The Chronicle.
Now, Diego Costa was always the club’s first-choice as far as veteran free-agents go. But with Wolves fully aware that they were at risk of running into work-permit issues, it was only sensible to consider potential alternatives.
Such as Andy Carroll, for instance.
The 33-year-old former England international, The Mirror say, was another name on Wolverhampton Wanderers’ radar following an ACL injury suffered by the similarly rangy Sasa Kalajdzic on his Premier League debut.
How close did Andy Carroll come to joining Wolves?
“I was speaking to Andy and he was saying he might have a Premier League move,” Barton admits.
“He said; ‘Look, I’ve had a bit of interest from abroad and I’m not sure if I’m going to do that. I’ve had Premier League interest’. I was like; ‘alright, no problem, hopefully it comes off for you.”
“I saw Diego Costa signing (for Wolves), so it must have been that. He never told me but I’m presuming it’s that. He told me; ‘If I miss out then there are a few Championship clubs interested in me’.”
In the end, this is exactly how things panned out. Wolves signed Costa, slicing through that pesky red tape, while Carroll now finds himself back in the second-tier. The one-time Liverpool striker signed a short-term deal with Reading on Thursday, having spent the first half of the 2021/22 campaign at the Madejski Stadium.
“I am really pleased to have Andy with us,” says Royals boss Paul Ince. “Of course, a striker of his prowess gives us power and a battling presence at the top of the pitch. I’m sure that will translate into goals.
“He is a leader, both on and off the pitch. Having trained with us all this week, I can already see the positive influence he’ll have on the players. And the boost he will no doubt give to the fans.”
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