Newcastle United’s hierarchy have reportedly been on good terms with striker Andy Carroll since they sold him to Liverpool in 2011, according to the Shields Gazette.
The newspaper claims that the Magpies kept tabs on the England international even after his £35million move to Merseyside, despite the anger from supporters at the sale.
The 30-year-old returned to St James’ Park this summer after his release by West Ham United, and Newcastle had been tracking him long before he had ankle surgery late last season.
Meanwhile, the report claims that former Toon boss Rafael Benitez ‘vetoed’ a £40million deal for Joelinton, only for the north east giants to complete the signing once Steve Bruce had replaced the Spaniard.
OPINION
It’s strange that the Newcastle hierarchy remained on good terms with Carroll after he moved to Liverpool, to be honest. That makes it seem as if there were no hard feelings in the deal, which seems hard to believe. Did Carroll really want to leave his boyhood club for a then-average Liverpool side? That’s debatable. Perhaps, though, he was convinced that getting £35million for him was the right thing for the Magpies, which it undoubtedly was. What we realise now, though, is that the Toon chiefs had been laying the groundwork for Carroll’s re-signing for a long time. They’d put in some work in getting him back even before he had his season-ending surgery last time out, which essentially ended his Hammers tenure. In the end, then, it all worked out and they got their man in a team-friendly deal. As for the Joelinton note; we know that Benitez didn’t want him, or at least not at the price Newcastle paid for him. As he continues to struggle early doors, that’s got to be a big concern for the Magpies faithful.
