Is there any merit to the idea of Chelsea signing Andy Carroll?

In a January transfer window which is already proving to be one of the most exciting of the last decade, one of the wildest developments has been Chelsea’s reported interest in Andy Carroll. Having scored a profoundly average 32 goals in 124 appearances for West Ham – this over the course of six seasons in which he has missed numerous games owing to fitness struggles and injuries – the 6’4 Geordie has done little to suggest that he can lead the line for a team hoping to compete in the latter stages of the Champions League.

Of course, it’s unlikely that Chelsea are planning to sign Carroll as a direct replacement for Alvaro Morata in a drastic answer to the problem of the Spaniard’s middling form. Whatever their intentions for Carroll, Sky Sports are reporting that Chelsea have made contact with West Ham over signing the lumbering forward. Even if Antonio Conte is looking for a wildcard back-up to Morata or a completely alternative option up front, pursuing the ponytailed behemoth seems like a renegade move. So, to put it simply, what the hell is going on here?

Land of the giants

Looking back at his time managing Juventus and Italy, Conte has a strange fondness for towering forwards. At Juve, he got the best out of Fernando Llorente and Mirko Vucinic – 6’4 and 6’1 respectively – while having less success with the lumpish Nicklas Bendtner. Having taken one of the least rated Azzurri sides of all time to Euro 2016, Conte went with hulking Southampton striker Graziano Pelle up front and eked two crucial goals out of the 6’4 colossus, even if Pelle was one of the players to miss from the spot in Italy’s spot kick defeat to Germany at the quarter-final stage.

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Conte clearly likes to have an aerial threat in attack and a striker capable of using his height to challenge opposition defences, even if only as an auxiliary man who can mix things up with more technical players. Diego Costa starred in the brawny forward role as Chelsea cantered to the Premier League title last season, though he is far more aggressive, provocative and obnoxious than Andy Carroll even on his grumpiest days.

Perhaps Conte’s thinking is that Carroll will provide Chelsea with an unconventional outlet which can be used to the team’s advantage. Carroll is an unknown quantity in Europe and could bring an element of surprise to Chelsea’s game plan, though he causes huge problems for Premier League defenders even when they know exactly what to expect. So often used as a battering ram and target for set pieces at West Ham, Carroll is an effective impact substitute even if his contribution over the long term is questionable. Many of his most important goals have been headers and close-range finishes of the bench, this after he’s grappled his way towards the ball and thrown his bulk high above the heads of a helpless defence.

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Then again, it’s possible that Chelsea are continuing their recent trend of looking for bargain reinforcements. While Andy Carroll could become the least subtle secret weapon since nuclear warheads were invented, he could also spend the entirety of the next six months on the bench or in the treatment room. With some reports suggesting that Michy Batshuayi could move to West Ham as part of the deal, Carroll’s transfer to Chelsea could be one of the strangest stories of the Premier League era. Still, it might give us the chance to witness Andy Carroll scoring against Barcelona in the Champions League – not something we would have imagined possible even in our wildest dreams.