Bordeaux striker Andy Carroll has admitted he was never bothered about moving to Liverpool or Tottenham and would have happily stayed at Newcastle United before a late twist saw him join the Reds.
The 35-year-old has been speaking to So Foot, detailing his career in England and how he really was not fussed about offers being rejected for him earlier in his career.
Carroll came through the ranks at Newcastle before establishing himself in the first team and being considered one of the up-and-coming players in the English game, largely because he was a throwback to an old style, centre forward that had disappeared from the game.
He was more than happy with the Magpies and has admitted as much publically, stating that he never intended to leave the club and would have spent his life there.
Things did not pan out that way, though, as he departed for Liverpool at the end of the January transfer window in January 2011 in a €41m deal.
He was part of a mad scramble on that final day that saw the Reds seeking to replace Fernando Torres, who had moved to Chelsea in an eyebrow raising deal at the last minute.
They eventually signed Carroll and Luis Suarez, with the latter enjoying far more success than the man who arrived alongside him.
Before the move to Anfield went through there had been something of a bidding war for the Newcastle man, with Tottenham also in the mix for him.
Both Liverpool and Tottenham had seen bids rejected and Carroll admits he was not fussed in the slightest, before a late twist had him heading to Merseyside.
“There’s an image that comes back to me. I’m in the club gym, the TV is on Sky Sports, and then a news report comes out saying that two offers for me had been rejected: Tottenham and Liverpool, I think,” he said.
“It was the day after a game, so we were sitting with all the players who had played the day before, warming up. People kept asking me questions.
““I’m not going anywhere, lads. I’m staying here. I’m about to sign a new four or five-year contract.” Then they advised me to go and have a word with the manager (Alan Pardew), which I did, and he said, “Er, no, you’re staying.”
“I was on the same wavelength, but a little later the news came out that a new offer from Liverpool had been accepted. I went back up to the boss’s office and said, “Yeah, we’ve accepted. The helicopter’s waiting for you.” He basically said, “See you later,” and I was gone.”
