OPINION
West Ham have a vested and potentially lucrative interest in the outcome of the Championship play-off final on Saturday.
The board of directors will be keeping a close eye on the biggest moneyspinner in the English football calendar which estimates state is worth between £150million and £200million.
The Times report that West Ham chiefs will be cheering on Aston Villa in their Wembley showdown against Fulham.
It is said that victory for the Midlands giants could pave the way for Andy Carroll to finally quit the London Stadium.
The giant centre-forward has a year remaining on his £90,000-a-week contract but West Ham have struggled to sell him because of his history of injuries.
There was talk of a mega-money move to China last year, with Karren Brady even using a newspaper column to mock Carroll’s fitness record as a deal edged closer, but he stayed put.
On the face of it, the Englishman does not appear the type of striker that new manager Manuel Pellegrini would want to spearhead the attack.
His one-dimensional style has brought him success at West Ham, and no centre-back in the Premier League would fancy 90 minutes of aerial battles with him, but Pellegrini’s preference in recent years have been for mobile front men who can run at defenders and pull them out of position.
That is definitely not Carroll’s game, and never has been.
Salvation for the West Ham board with one eye on the bottom dollar could come in the shape of Steve Bruce’s side, who would no doubt love to have a battering ram centre-forward if they are in next season’s Premier League.
Aged 29, the giant Geordie is not over the hill yet.
But his salary is a drain due to his poor availability record and West Ham will be sweating on the outcome of Saturday’s mega-money clash. It could just make their lives so much easier.
