'Liverpool broke their transfer record to sign me - but I wished I'd failed my medical'

Liverpool broke their transfer record when signing Andy Carroll in 2011 – but the striker was hoping an injury would stop the move from happening.

The young striker had been thriving at boyhood club Newcastle United, fresh from firing Chris Hughton’s side back into the Premier League. Adorning the number nine shirt once worn by Alan Shearer and a string of other Newcastle legends, Carroll hit the ground running in the Premier League.

Carroll - who celebrates his 36th birthday this Monday - scored a hat-trick against Aston Villa in the second week of the campaign. By the end of January, Carroll had 11 goals and eight assists in 19 league games.

It meant that when Liverpool were looking to replace Chelsea-bound Fernando Torres on January deadline day, the Newcastle starlet topped their list of targets. However, rather than seeing it as a dream move, Carroll wished for a failed medical to scupper his £35m transfer.

"From the moment Liverpool made this incredible bid on deadline day, I found myself in a helicopter without really understanding why," Carroll told L'Equipe in 2023. "As I was injured, I remember hoping to fail my medical."

Despite his silent wish, Carroll signed for Liverpool alongside Luis Suarez, while Chelsea broke the British transfer record to sign Torres for £50m. Carroll’s injury forced him to wait more than a month for his Reds debut, and he ended the campaign with two goals from nine games.

The following season, as Suarez went from strength-strength, Carroll was a far cry from the prolific striker he had been for Newcastle, scoring nine times in 47 appearances. However, looking back, Carroll has no regrets about joining the Reds. "This helped me grow up by taking me out of my comfort zone,” he said. “Because I knew nothing about life and football, apart from Newcastle."

HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Andy Carroll have stayed at Newcastle United in 2011? Tell us in the comments section below

Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images) John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

In 2012, Liverpool appointed Brendan Rodgers as manager and Carroll was loaned out to West Ham United, where he stayed until 2019. The former England international later returned to Newcastle for a two-year spell, playing a bit-part role under Steve Bruce, before dropping down to the EFL.

However, a surprise move to France has led to something of a career renaissance for Carroll, 36, who signed for Bordeaux this summer. The club recently suffered a double relegation to the fourth tier but, unlike his move to Liverpool, Carroll relished the opportunity and has scored seven goals in 11 appearances so far this term.

“To be honest, it’s even costing me money to come and play for Bordeaux but I’m playing football and I am simply happy to be playing football,” Carroll admitted to RMC Sport. "I want to be a part of this club’s history and to be frank, it wasn’t a question of money. In my career, it’s never been a question of money."

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