Saturday, 10th November, 2012
Alan Pardew believes that Newcastle are the side they are today because they sold striker Andy Carroll.
Newcastle cashed in on the powerful target man in the 2011 January transfer window, pocketing a £35M fee for the player from Liverpool as the clock ticked down on deadline day.
The size of the fee was greeted with astonishment, though Newcastle fans were also disappointed at having lost an exciting homegrown prospect.
But the Magpies invested the money well, bringing in flair-filled strikers Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse over the next 12 months, while other talents also landed at St. James’ Park.
And as a result, Pardew was able to steer Newcastle to a fifth place finish last season, with the team also knocking on the door of a top four Champions League spot for much of the campaign.
Behind it all, in Pardew’s view, was the large fee received for Carroll, which allowed a several stars to be bought.
"The fee was astronomical, we have used it well", he told the BBC.
relatedNewsStory"The position we are in, if I’m honest, is because we used the money from Andy’s sale well.
"He was a brilliant player for us and we owe a great debt to him."
Pardew also stressed that he would like to bring Carroll back to Newcastle, finances permitting; the England international is currently on a season-long loan from Liverpool at West Ham.
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