Everton have been linked with West Ham United striker Andy Carroll, and Ronald Koeman praised the forward during his time as Southampton boss.
According to a report from The Sun, Everton are interested in signing West Ham forward Andy Carroll during the January transfer window, with Ronald Koeman placing the 28-year-old at the top of his list of priority targets as the Toffees continue to try and replace Romelu Lukaku.
The Sun’s claims may come as something of a surprise to some. While Carroll can be a brilliant player to have when he is fit and on form, he has never been able to shake off the image of being injury-prone, having made more than 30 Premier League appearances in one season on just one occasion during his career.
But perhaps comments Koeman made back in December 2015 when his Southampton side travelled to Upton Park to face the Irons just hint at why the Dutchman is now keen on bringing the former Liverpool man back to Merseyside in a potential £20 million deal.
The Hammers came from a goal down at half-time to claim a 2-1 victory with Carroll proving to be integral to the turnaround and scoring the winner with a close-range header, and after the game, Koeman suggested that the forward’s introduction as a substitute changed the game.
“We spoke at half-time about a reaction, [we said] they will bring in Carroll. That means that they will play the long ball, they will fight for second balls, they will be more aggressive.”
Though he has not scored this season, Carroll has made a bright start to the campaign when he has been fit, causing opposition defenders plenty of problems to help Slaven Bilic’s men to two wins and one draw from the four games he has featured in.
However, with no goals and an injury record that makes spending £20 million on him a gamble, Everton fans would surely be forgiven for still being sceptical that Carroll is the answer to their goalscoring concerns.
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