OPINION
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini rounded off his summer spending with the captures of striker Lucas Perez and midfielder Carlos Sanchez, who became his eighth and ninth signings of a brilliant window.
However, the club’s move for Perez was not one they had necessarily been planning to make, with Andy Carroll’s latest injury setback forcing the club back into the market for another striker.
The colossal hit man has been beset by injury throughout his career, and unfortunately for the Hammers his time at the club has been no different.
His latest setback, suffered during the summer, was assessed as being serious enough to put him out of action until November, and that forced Pellegrini’s hand in bringing Perez in.
A timetable has now been revealed for Carroll’s return, with Hammers insider site Claret and Hugh claiming that the 29-year-old is set to be ready for action before Christmas.
Now, this is good news for the club in several ways, with one of their most dangerous attacking outlets set to be ready for a crucial Christmas period.
It is also important however, because it puts Carroll in the shop window for January, and that unfortunately must be what the club’s focus is on.
Carroll is entering the final year of his £90,000-a-week deal [Spotrac] at the London Stadium, and his injury issues mean that there is close to no chance that the Irons will offer him a new contract.
Their £15million investment in Carroll in 2013 has paid little dividend, with the 29-year-old scoring 33 goals in 128 appearances for the club, and to get something back on that in January should be a priority.
The club must therefore be exercise extreme caution with regards to Carroll’s fitness during his recovery, as it is of paramount importance that he does not suffer another setback before January.
Carroll being fit is the only way of securing a decent fee in January, with the striker set to walk away for free next summer should that not happen.
The next few months will be crucial for both the club and Carroll, and the Hammers must be careful to manage his recovery perfectly, securing a fee in January in the process.
