Transfer Rumors: Why Andy Carroll Would Be a Great Signing for Newcastle United

The transfer window is heating up, and as ever, Newcastle United are in the thick of things.

After picking up midfielders Romain Amalfitano and Gael Bigirimana, Newcastle are looking to make their third move, with former Magpie Andy Carroll sitting atop their list.

According to Mail Online, Newcastle had their loan bid for the England international rejected last week, but there's still a chance he could return home.

After rejecting the loan bid, Liverpool are instead looking to move Carroll on permanently if at all, having set an asking price around £20 million for the striker, according to the BBC.

Despite this, Newcastle feel their loan offer with an option to buy for £13 million will be enough to get the deal done, although West Ham's £15 million bid for the striker may force them to slightly up their price.

Either way, the addition of Andy Carroll for under £20 million would be a great move for Newcastle, especially if they're looking to take the next step and make the Champions League next season.

First of all, Carroll will act as insurance for the potential departure of star striker Demba Ba, whose £7 million release clause can be activated any time until the 31st of July.

The likelihood, of course, is that Ba will stay with the club, with manager Alan Pardew relaxed about the situation, according to ChronicleLive.

Even with Ba staying, the addition of Carroll could still be useful, as Pardew could either use his creativity to form a lineup that utilizes Ba, Carroll and Papiss Cisse, or simply keep Carroll on the bench as depth.

Last season, Newcastle had a great starting lineup, and the problems only really came when they had to call upon bench players to start games here and there—with players like Carroll on the bench, that won't be a problem anymore.

During the African Cup of Nations in particular, Newcastle will be without both of their Senegalese strikers–Ba and Cisse—and frankly, having Carroll start alongside Shola Ameobi (rather than Leon Best who has just joined Blackburn) is a much better way of making sure their production isn't missed.

Paying around £20 million for someone who isn't going to be the first choice at his position is questionable, but when you consider that Newcastle will actually be making a profit of around £15 million on Carroll (having sold him for a record £35 million last July) it doesn't seem quite so bad.

Looking at the English clubs in the Champions League—which is what Newcastle should be aiming for next season—most had quality strikers on the bench last season.

Man. United had Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov, Man. City had Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez, and Spurs had Louis Saha and Giovani dos Santos.

With Newcastle playing in Europe as those three clubs did last year, the need for depth is further increased, as the grind of the Europa League schedule will cause them to play at least 10 games without the bulk of their usual starters.

Finally, at 23, Carroll still has a bright future ahead of him, and though he struggled last season, there's a huge chance that he'll regain the form that made Liverpool splash out on him some time down the line.

Players don't stick around forever in football, and though Newcastle have two great strikers right now, they would be wise to keep one for the future in case they're forced to make a transfer.

£20 million is a lot of money, and it must be spent wisely, but with so little attacking depth on their bench, bringing Carroll back would be a great way to spend it.

The bottom line is that Newcastle will be bringing back a great talent, whilst still making an overall net profit on the transfer.