Newcastle to be offered unlikely swap deal by West Ham

West Ham are set to offer Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll in exchange for midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, according to reports.

Carroll’s contract with the Hammers is set to expire at the end of the season. Due to his recurring injury problems, the East Londoners are not looking to keep him beyond this season and are therefore hoping to offload him this month, reports the Daily Express.

West Ham, who are currently in tenth position in the Premier League standings, are playing attractive football at the moment. However, they could do with bolstering their midfield as Manuel Lanzini is out for the rest of the season while Michail Antonio and Jack Wilshere are both also very injury-prone.

Shelvey has been inconsistent so far this season but is a Premier League-quality player who would be a useful addition to Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

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Magpies supporters will have fond memories of Caroll. The 29-year-old is a product of Newcastle’s youth development system, starting his professional career with the Toon Army and part of the club’s first team for five years between 2006-2011. During that time, Caroll came to be regarded as the future of English football and earned a call-up to England after scoring 31 goals in 80 league appearances.

His goalscoring form led to a move to Liverpool in 2011. However, injury problems have prevented Carroll from reaching his true potential.

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While Newcastle could certainly do with a new striker, it would not be fortuitous for them to agree to such a swap deal.

Carroll is a player who tends to spend more time off the field than on it due to his injury issues and he will likely not command a light salary. The Magpies should rather vie for a younger, more prolific striker such as Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham, who is currently on loan with Aston Villa in the Championship.