Carroll return would leave Alan Pardew with a nice dilemma
Newcastle United fans shouldn't get too concerned if a deal can't be agreed to sign Andy Carroll.
Of course, the signing of the Geordie boy would be one that will get pulses racing on Tyneside and while many booed him when he made a return to St James' Park he now finds himself in a position where many of them would welcome him back.
Personally I think that the Carroll saga with Liverpool will run and run until the end of the window.
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has clearly put down his marker on Carroll, and he knows it would make good business sense to bring back the local lad who will sell shirts and bolster the squad.
But then looking at it with football logic, United could easily survive without him.
It was Kevin Keegan that said: "You can't have too many good players."
And while that much is true, it's also evident that Newcastle actually already have some exceptional talent on their hands.
In Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse, Shola Ameobi, Hatem Ben Arfa and Sammy Ameobi and possibly a younger striker to come in such as Anthony Koura, Alan Pardew already has a range of options.
He can also use Haris Vuckic as a second striker if he sees fit and the Europa League is going to mean he will have to rotate his squad in the coming weeks.
Having Carroll on the books would be a nice problem to have.
I don't believe that Carroll is limited to just one system and is a an old school centre-forward that thrives on tactics dreamt up from the corridors of Plough Lane in the 1980s.
I do believe that Carroll is just as dangerous with the ball played on to his lethal left foot rather than bombarding the opposition with long balls.
Liverpool's problem is they can't seem to fathom that Carroll thrives on good service, not long balls, decent crosses into the box.
Even then Newcastle can mix it too, Demba Ba thrived off a few long balls and knock downs last season with his goal against Manchester United evidence that Pardew can play horses for courses.
Yet how entertaining were Newcastle towards the end of the season during that six game winning streak?
The 4-3-3 formation that Hatem Ben Arfa seemed to enjoy so much helped bring out the best in Cisse too.
We'll just have to wait and see what team gets chalked up for the game against Spurs.
But no matter what happens with Carroll, it is perhaps bodies at the other end of the pitch Newcastle need to be concerned about.
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« Carroll hasn't had a fair crack of the whip at Liverpool | Brendan Rodgers is playing transfer's version of the Hokey Cokey »
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Lee Ryder - Proudly born and bred on Tyneside, the Chronicle's chief sports writer has followed the fortunes of the club over the last three decades as a Toon fan and football writer.
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