Making an Argument for Liverpool Bringing Andy Carroll Back

Remember Andy Carroll? Big guy, long hair, currently spotted in a claret and blue shirt in the east London vicinity?

Well, despite wearing a West Ham United kit ever since Liverpool’s error-strewn final few days of the summer transfer window, Carroll is still a Reds player. As things stand, he’ll be required to report for duty when Brendan Rodgers recalls his players for preseason training in the summer, long after Carroll’s loan deal at Upton Park will have come to an end.

Will he still be needed then, though?

The overwhelming belief has to be that, after playing 58 times for Liverpool, Carroll won’t be seen donning the red shirt again.

He appeared destined for the exit almost as soon as Rodgers arrived at the club last summer. People queued up to declare that the big target man wouldn’t be suited to the style of football that the former Swansea boss would be looking to implement at Anfield.    

Carroll appeared as a substitute in Liverpool’s opening two league matches of the season against West Brom and Manchester City, but that only seemed to be delaying the inevitable and he was soon shipped off to the east end of London. Clint Dempsey was supposed to arrive in his place, and why he didn’t remains a failure on the Reds’ behalf.

The lack of a replacement for Carroll left Liverpool woefully short of attacking options during the first half of their campaign, with youngsters Raheem Sterling and Suso filling in until the January arrivals of Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho.

If Liverpool are serious about challenging for a position near the top of the Premier League next season, such a huge mistake can’t be allowed to happen again. With Carroll on board for the summer, it doesn’t have to even get close to that.

If the Reds are to sell their record signing, then they have to get on with it. A sale to West Ham, his former club Newcastle or any other interested party has to be concluded swiftly to avoid Carroll’s presence becoming an unwelcome distraction ahead of preparations for a new campaign.

But should Liverpool fail to sell the forward before their preparations for the 2013/14 campaign, could he play a large part in them? He probably could.

Even with the addition of Sturridge and the omnipresence of Luis Suarez, Liverpool could do with another forward to supplement a squad that will be looking to improve again next season.

Fabio Borini is around, but he is still young and raw and could be considered as one of the wide players in Rodgers’ current system when he returns to fitness. He also doesn’t provide the goal threat that Carroll does.

Eleven goals in Carroll’s 58 Liverpool games don't exactly support that theory, but seeing the England man in a Rodgers team on a more consistent basis would be a fascinating sight. There is nothing to suggest that he couldn’t mix in with the rest of his teammates when it comes to fancy footwork anyway―witness his fine recent goal for West Ham against West Brom as a case in point.  

The overall point here is that there is a case for keeping him on board, especially considering Sturridge’s recent injury worries.

The main likelihood is still that Carroll will depart for good in the summer, with that exorbitant £35 million transfer fee making a loud sound when it is thrown on the pile of money that Liverpool have mistakenly invested during the Premier League years.

The failure to make a quick sale could leave Carroll hanging around for a while though, and in that circumstance, he has to be integrated back into the squad and given a chance to shine.

Will he take that chance? That remains to be seen, but seeing him return to the fold would make for compelling viewing.

You might just have to wait to write his Reds career off.