OPINION
West Ham United reportedly have an option to extend striker Andy Carroll’s contract by two years next summer, with his current deal expiring at the end of the season.
As reported by club insiders Claret and Hugh, the club can extend Carroll’s deal for another two years if they see fit, extending his stay at the club to a potential nine seasons.
The 29-year-old hit man has been at the club for six years now, but has spent most of that time on the treatment table, making just 128 appearances in that time.
That equates to 21 games per season, meaning that Carroll has been out of action for around half of the time he has been in east London.
And, even if he does manage to stay fit for the rest of the season after his return, that means that the club would be absolutely barmy to even think about taking up this option.
Carroll has done nothing to prove his reliability, and his £90,000-a-week wages [Spotrac] are simply bleeding the club dry for nothing in return.
Even if they took the option with the intent of retaining their ability to receive a fee for Carroll, there is no club in the world who would pay anything close to a decent fee for him considering his recent record.
That would then see them saddled with Carroll for another two seasons with no prospect of getting much back.
The best move now is to just cut their losses and let Carroll go on a free transfer. Yes, they have lost a lot of money on him, but there is nothing they can do about that now.
The longer they prolong this saga the worse it will be, and they must just cut ties with him when the time comes.
