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Newcastle United official media partner comes up with worst transfer exclusive of summer (so far)

7 years ago
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In their time as official media partner to Newcastle United, The Mirror have came up with some pretty embarrassing exclusives.

They opened up with one that claimed Charlie Austin had already signed, stating it as fact.

They also ‘revealed’ that Berahino was a certainty to follow him into St James Park.

The following couple of years have seen many more examples where you wonder just what do you get for your money as ‘official media partner’ at NUFC?

This summer has so far seen a number of Mirror exclusives wide of the mark, claiming that Kenedy had signed a couple of weeks ago, as well as Samaris arriving from Benfica.

This time they have gone for a more familiar one, with the old Andy Carroll making emotional return back home..

The Mirror – 19 August 2017:

‘Newcastle pondering sensational swoop for Geordie West Ham striker Andy Carroll

The £130,000-a-week West Ham striker has emerged as an option for his old club with an emotional, season-long loan on the cards

Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez is considering a sensational swoop for Geordie boy Andy Carroll.

…a move for Carroll six years after he left the club which will really appeal to the Gallowgate faithful.’

The trouble is, this lazy story (Andy Carroll back to Newcastle) surfaces every single transfer window and only days after the end of the Championship season (see below) in May (before the Premier League had even concluded), various newspapers were breaking their necks to claim that this would be at last happening this season.

There are so many reasons why clearly Andy Carroll won’t be signing for Newcastle – whether it is money, the player settled in the south, or the small matter that he can’t play two matches in a row without getting injured. Just what you need when injury issues are ongoing with Dwight Gayle.

The Mag – 15 May 2017

Newcastle are making a ‘shock move’ for Andy Carroll according to media reports in recent days.

Rafa Benitez sees the West Ham striker as ideal to give his team that extra quality as they return to the Premier League…or so the story goes.

The reality is of course, that the only ‘shock’ thing about this story, is that it would be a massive shock if Newcastle weren’t linked with Andy Carroll.

In pretty much every transfer window since he flew away from Tyneside six and a half years ago, there have been media exclusives that the striker is on his way back to St James Park.

The truth of course is that there must be zero interest for Rafa in signing the former Newcastle striker.

A quick look at his stats will tell you that, with the usual refrain being ‘if only he could stay fit…’.

Bottom line is that in six and a half seasons after Newcastle sold him for £35m, Andy Carroll has only scored 36 Premier League goals – in his final 15 months at NUFC he scored 28 league goals (Championship & Premier League).

To get those 36 goals, Carroll has only managed to start exactly 100 league matches, with another 42 appearances off the bench.

So Carroll’s post-Newcastle career sees him averaging around 15 league starts per season and a shade under six goals each year.

This season he once again has flattered to deceive, scoring some very good PL goals and managing seven in 15 starts (plus three off the bench) but injuries are once again making him into a liability overall.

To sum it up, Andy Carroll is once again out injured as this current season comes to an end (he has two years left on his contract after signing a six year deal in 2013).

Just have a look at this injury record (dates are when first out with that particular injury) in just the last three years.

So just as it is a foregone conclusion that we will be linked with Andy Carroll this summer, you can take it just as much for granted that we won’t be seeing him back in a Newcastle shirt.

Andy Carroll’s injuries in past three years:

Groin Strain (April 2017)

Groin Strain (February 2017)

Groin/Pelvis Injury (January 2017)

Neck Injury (January 2017)

Knee Injury (August 2017)

Groin Strain (February 2016)

Hamstring (January 2016)

Thigh Muscle Strain (December 2015)

Ankle/Foot Injury (September 2015)

MCL Knee Ligament Injury (February 2015)

Knee Injury (January 2015)

Ankle Ligaments (July 2014)

(All contributions from Newcastle fans welcome, send articles (as well as ideas/suggestions) to contribute@themag.co.uk)

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