OPINION
There’s no getting around the fact that Newcastle United have a severe striker shortage after the departures of Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez this summer.
However, you cannot allow that shortage to manifest into desperation in the eyes of the manager and the recruitment staff at the club. Unfortunately, that is what appears to have happened at St James’ Park.
The Chronicle reported on Saturday that Magpies boss Steve Bruce is considering bringing free agent frontman Andy Carroll back to the north east.
Bruce is thought to be an admirer of the 9-cap England international, but wants him to prove his fitness. However, the 30-year-old is said to be interested in ending his career with his boyhood club.
Look, the team are short on quality attackers as mentioned, but this is a potential move that stinks of desperation. Bruce would surely be making a real blunder, here.
The big question with Carroll is always ‘can he stay fit?’ The problem with that, though, is that even when fit he has shown nothing in recent years to indicate that he could make an impact for Newcastle.
The statistics from last season make for grim reading for the giant attacker. When you compare his performances for West Ham United to what Yoshinori Muto did for the Magpies, what Dwight Gayle produced on loan at West Bromwich Albion and what transfer target Joelinton did with Hoffenheim, it shows you what a colossal error bringing Carroll in would be.
As per WhoScored.com, the only major offensive statistical category where Carroll led the way was in the number of times he was dispossessed per game. He lagged behind Gayle and Joelinton in shots per game, had the joint worst key passes per game and embarked on the fewest dribbles per game. Plus, he didn’t score a Premier League goal for goodness sake!
It seems clear that Carroll is finished, well past his sell-by date, and should spend his twilight in America or China. Certainly not, though, at his old club Newcastle.
