West Bromwich Albion boss Sam Allardyce is keen to reunite with Newcastle United target man Andy Carroll in the January transfer window, according to The Mirror (21 December, page 63).
‘Fireman Sam’ may have saved Everton, Crystal Palace and Sunderland from relegation during the past ten years but this could be his biggest challenge yet.
A 3-0 home defeat to Midland rivals Aston Villa on Sunday was a brutal reminder of the size of task Slaven Bilic’s successor faces. West Brom are already five points adrift of safety after just 14 games.
The Baggies barely laid a glove on a dominant Villa side and, with no real presence in attack, West Brom spent 90 gruelling minutes pinned against the edge of their own penalty area.
In theory, a reunion with former West Ham favourite Carroll would give Allardyce something his West Brom squad currently lacks – a genuine penalty-box threat and someone capable of holding up the ball and bringing Matt Phillips, Grady Diangana and co into play.
Allardyce described Carroll, who he paid £15 million for in 2013, as “unstoppable” in the air during their time together at Upton Park.
A relentless series of injuries wrecked the former England international’s claret-and-blue career, however, and Carroll has failed to score a single goal since returning to boyhood club Newcastle United in 2019.
But can the 31-year-old roll back the years, like Allardyce himself, and save West Brom from the drop?
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