West Ham United striker Andy Carroll might be due for a change of scenery this summer, with the New England Revolution now linked as a potential destination.
Carroll, a 30-year-old English striker, has been on the Hammers’ fringes for most of this Premier League season, which started with him missing the first 12 games to recover from ankle surgery.
A report Thursday by NBC Sports said the Revolution, who have been teasing a second Designated Player signing since late December, might have their man in Carroll.
Revolution coach Brad Friedel has been mum on the transfer target’s identity, but has let a few details slip on who the player might be.
“This is a player that has been scouted a long, long time, who I know personally and have known for many, many years,” Friedel said on March 24. “This is a player who wants to play here – who wants to live here. It’s not easy to find those players like that who are very, very good. Sometimes waiting a couple extra months is worth the wait for the long term.
“Getting a player out from Europe in January is really difficult. It’s nothing to do with money, it’s having to do with the club allowing the player to leave – that’s really what it amounts to. We’re negotiating hard, and not money, on where the team is in the table, the position, and when the player can be released from his contract.”
Carroll and Friedel probably crossed paths over the course of the manager’s 18-year playing career in England, which included stops at Liverpool, Blackburn, Aston Villa, and Tottenham. Carroll is a former Liverpool player, but played there from 2011-13, a full decade after Friedel.
Carroll, who has only played in one 90-minute game this season and hasn’t been in West Ham United’s squad in its last five matches, has also only made three starts.
Carroll has also not yet scored or assisted this season, though the player database transfermarkt.com lists his market value at nearly $9.5 million.