West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini expects Andy Carroll to stay at the club this January.
The 6’3″ striker [Transfermarkt] is out of contract at the end of the season, but his manager does not expect him to leave before then, even though it is thought that he will not be offered a new deal, as reported in The Sun.
As quoted by the Daily Mail (16.50), the Chilean said: “I don’t think that Andy will leave the club until the end of the season [at least] because he has a contract here.
“I think that Andy’s improving in every game that he plays. He had a very long injury but he’s working now the complete week with the squad.
“I think that his performances are also improving, so I hope that in every game he is involved in he demonstrates that.”
OPINION
Andy Carroll’s situation at West Ham is a strange one that could end up costing the club a fair amount. The forward certainly still has something to offer for the Hammers, but his injury record is so poor, and his patchy form of late might not be enough to convince the club to give him a new deal. If that is the case then it would make way more sense for the Irons to sell him this month, rather than risk losing him on a free in the summer. It’s almost as if the club themselves don’t really know how to handle the situation, especially in light of the Marko Arnautovic transfer saga. There is still a chance that the Austrian could leave of course, and if that does happen then Carroll could have a big role to play until the end of the season at least. The player will be hoping that he can get enough action, and provide enough evidence to prove to the club that he’s worth another shot.
