Oh Carroll!

Never thought this would happen, but West Ham have got Andy Carroll on a season's loan from Liverpool. He wasn't exactly keen to join us initially, but Brendan Rodgers has been very clear he isn't going to play. I've always rated Carroll on what he did at Newcastle and he appeared to be coming back to form at Liverpool towards the end of the season. It's often forgotten that his left foot is pretty useful as well as his head and we have to hope the team don't just lump balls forward because they have a big man. But with Jarvis bought to ping in crosses this makes sense and 80k a week is worth it to ensure Premier League survival. Carroll is also going to be angry enough to want to prove Brendan Rodgers wrong. We've got a £35 million striker for a season and there's no obligation to buy at the end of the loan, so this seems a pretty good deal. This may mean Cole or Maynard goes before the window closes, but as long as his refuelling habits survive East London, this looks a fine piece of business.