Chelsea go for £20m Carroll
Chelsea keen on loan but West Ham prefer £20m sale
CHELSEA have opened talks with West ham about a sensational deal for Andy Carroll this month.
Sportsmail revealed on January 4 that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte had identified Carroll as a centre forward who can boost his search for goals in the second half of the season. The champions were interested in a six-month loan but West ham would prefer to sell for around £20million. Chelsea have reservations about paying a big fee for a 29-year-old with such a poor injury record and limited resale potential. But Conte likes what he has seen of Carroll and the clubs are discussing a deal. Carroll, capped nine times by england, joined liverpool from Newcastle on the last day of the
January window in 2011 for £35m, the highest fee for a British player at the time.
He was bought to replace Fernando Torres, who moved from Liverpool to Chelsea on the same day for £50m.
In August 2012, Liverpool agreed a £2m fee that would see Carroll spend a season-long loan at West Ham, a move made permanent in June 2013 for £15m.
West Ham manager David Moyes said last night: ‘Andy Carroll is part of my squad. I want to add to my squad, not lose anybody. There have been a lot of rumours regarding a loan but as far as I know it’s not officially come from Chelsea.
‘At the moment Andy has an ankle injury. We hope that will settle and he’ll be available soon.’
Conte has already brought in Ross Barkley for £15m this month but his plans to blood the former Everton midfielder in the FA Cup have been foiled because Chelsea did not complete the deal in time.
Conte had been preparing for the England midfielder to make his debut in tonight’s third-round replay at Stamford Bridge.
Barkley’s switch from Everton was completed on January 5 — the eve of the tie which was drawn at Carrow Road — but not, the Chelsea boss discovered on Sunday, before the midday deadline.
‘He’s not able to play because the transfer was late,’ said Conte. ‘Two days ago I was sure Ross Barkley could play against Norwich. Then I was informed about this new situation.’
The deadline is 5pm on the day before a game for a loan signing but noon for any permanent deal.
Chelsea will now organise a friendly fixture for Barkley, who has not played since a serious hamstring injury in pre-season.
‘Then we will see his physical condition,’ said Conte, who warned there will be changes against Norwich. Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas are injured, others will take a breather and 17-year- old Ethan Ampadu will start as one of three central defenders.
‘Ampadu deserves to play,’ said Conte. ‘He is ready physically and tactically. This is unusual for a player who is only 17 but that shows age is not important. The important thing is that when I give you the chance, you repay me with a great performance.’
Chelsea have six clean sheets in seven games but Conte is concerned about a lack of scoring and will not indulge reputations as he tries to put this right.
Eden Hazard has completed 90 minutes only once in his last eight appearances and he was taken off after less than an hour against Leicester as the Premier League champions toiled to a third successive goalless draw.
‘We are not scoring and this is a real problem for us,’ said Conte.
‘ We have to improve in this aspect and my players know very well that they can improve. Every single player has scored less than last season. For this reason we must be worried — not if a player is happy or not. I am the coach and I decide. The most important thing is to win and to try and be honest in your choice. I learned this from Marcello Lippi, Giovanni Trapattoni and Arrigo Sacchi.’
Hazard has found the target only once in his last 10 games but Chelsea are trying to tie him down to a new, long-term contract because his deal expires in 2020.There are overtures from Real Madrid but Conte claimed English football suffers from a peculiar obsession with the happiness of players.
‘Only here is there this situation,’ said the Chelsea boss. ‘You are worried about whether a player is happy. This is not important. My task is to do the best for the club.’