Like a warning bell that sends a cold shiver down the spine, Bilic has said those dreaded words. “The next West Ham game will come too soon for Andy Carroll.”
Having only played 41% of possible minutes since he signed, Carroll is a huge issue for West Ham. He cost the side a then record 15m, and he hasn’t been worth it. Whilst he is a huge impact on the pitch, when he’s there, he just doesn’t get enough gametime.
So the club have got a decision to make. Can they really afford to keep him around? Can they change his contract situation? Or do they just get rid of him to the highest bidder?
Option 1 – No Change
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Keep the situation the same. There’s no need to change what is working right? If you think it’s working that is. It’s a lot of money that Carroll is getting paid per week, but if he contributes a lot when he’s there then it’s worth keeping him around during the bad times right?
The fact is that Andy Carroll can be almost impossible to deal with. He has the best goals per minute ratio of any Hammer and that is tough to come by. As far as target men go there aren’t many better, but he does require the team to play a certain way. He won’t make long dribbles with the ball or drop off and ping the ball into the top corner from 30 yards.
If you pick this option, you had best be prepared for the times, like now, that he’s injured. Perhaps treat him as a luxury ‘if we have him great, if not ah well’ option. But that’s an expensive choice.
Option 2 – Get a Pay per game contract
Now this one would be hard to do, considering it would effectively require the player agreeing to a pay cut. However it could represent a cost effective way of keeping a clearly able striker at the club.
A pay per game contract would benefit the club immensely. If the player’s weekly wage is 90,000, you could even offer 120k+ for the weeks he is available and actually come out better off the other side. If the current ratio of games played remains to missed remains the same that is.
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However he may not a agree to a pay per play, because then the management has an incentive not to play him. Maybe a pay per medical sign off? When the medical team says he is fit, he gets weekly wages. When they don’t, he doesn’t. That way he has to look after himself and the manager knows that if he’s available he can be used without extra cost.
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Option 3 – Sell him if a good offer comes in
A popular one on twitter seems to be, if the price is right let him go. The fact is that if someone were to offer more than we paid for him then it would be a a lot of money to refuse. It would also be a lot of wages now going spare.
Obviously you don’t want to strengthen a direct rival, but they’re the teams that would take him. Teams above us in the league are unlikely to want him, whilst the lower end may not be able to afford him. It’s a tricky situation when it comes to selling a player. Especially a striker.
Most times abroad becomes attractive, as it lowers the risk of being haunted by an ex player. However Carroll’s style may not be as attractive in Spain, France or Germany. However if a solid offer comes in from abroad, then the David’s will certainly have to think about it
Option 4 – Sell him to whoever will take him
If you choose this option the only thing stopping you from ripping up his contract is how much it will cost. You don’t care what Andy Carroll does, you just don’t want him at your club. He’s taken enough money for not enough return and you want him gone.
There is some sense to this, because he takes up a lot of space in both the wage packet and in terms of the managers planning. When pre-season comes around and Slaven Bilic has a look at the squad, naturally he will include Andy Carroll. But that’s a trick of the mind. Like a mirage. What you see isn’t actually a good striker for the squad, but a good striker for 15 games. That isn’t enough.
Offload him, and build for next season. Even if he ends up scoring against us next season, you’ll consider it good business that he’s gone.
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What should West Ham do with Andy Carroll? #WHUFC #COYI @WestHamPolls @HammersPolls
— Green St. Hammers (@GreenStHammers) April 29, 2017
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