OPINION
Free-agent forward Andy Carroll will not be returning to Newcastle United this summer – with Steve Bruce surely making all the right moves since joining.
The Mirror revealed on Sunday evening that Bruce has decided to put a stop to their reported pursuit of the former West Ham striker after splashing the cash on new arrivals Allan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton.
Bruce is definitely making all the right moves so far during his short spell in charge at St James’ Park, and this one is surely being added to the list.
Newcastle definitely needed forward reinforcements after losing their two top-scorers in Ayoze Perez and Salomon Rondon from last season, with the Chronicle reporting that Bruce specifically asked for pace and power in their replacements.
Carroll definitely doesn’t possess those attributes and that could be the exact reason why Newcastle have deserted their hunt for the former Magpie – with Bruce clearly making all the right calls so far.
The 30-year-old is certainly past his best, and his injury record is enough to put any club off taking a chance signing him. Since the start of 2018, Carroll has missed 345 days of action, leading him to miss 37 games [Transfermarkt] – all of which were from a reoccurring ankle problem.
Carroll made 12 Premier League appearances last season and failed to score. The forward only averaged 1.2 shots per game, highlighting his poor conversion rate, but the real problem stems from his involvement on the ball, having only averaged 0.3 key passes and the same amount of completed dribbles every game [WhoScored].
Newcastle clearly need to steer well clear of this potential banana skin signing, with the Magpies clearly targeting younger options such as Joelinton who is nine-years Carroll’s junior.
The arrival of Bruce was surely a fresh start for many involved at St James’ Park, with Mike Ashley clearly backing his new manager to take the club forward – and the signing of Carroll would have instantly set the club back.
Bruce is making all the right calls so far, and maybe his arrival won’t be filled with doom and gloom as fans once expected.
