Former Liverpool record signing: Free agent Carroll joins West Brom

This article first appeared on Jan. 28, 11:34 GMT and has been updated after the transfer was made official. 

Andy Carroll has joined Championship side West Bromwich Albion until the end of the season. First reported by the Daily Telegraph and The Athletic, the 33-year-old has completed his medical with the Baggies on Friday. The club has since announced the transfer.

“Andy is a player who is able to help us straight away," managerValérien Ismaël said in a club statement. "He is ready and brings with him all the attributes we need. It could be a win-win situation for us. The fact Andy has played plenty of games for Reading recently is great. He’s fit after playing those games and he’s scored goals during that short-term deal. Hopefully Andy can now score goals for us. After the Dike injury we assessed the situation, because it is a big loss, and it was clear that he had made an impact in that short time. We needed to replace him, and we are pleased to welcome Andy who has a lot of experience.”

From Nov. 2021 to Jan. 2022 Carroll was under contract at league rivals Reading. At Reading where he was signed on a temporary basis only, he made eight appearances, in which he scored two goals and provided one assist.

Fee of €41 million: Carroll in top 10 of Liverpool’s record transfers

Once one of the Premier League’s most valuable forwards with a market value of €20 million in 2011, West Brom become Carroll's sixth club. The second division side, who are competing for promotion to the top tier, had already signed US striker Daryl Dike from Orlando for a transfer fee of €8.64 million this winter but the 21-year-old is expected to be out until March with a thigh injury. In 2011, Carroll had moved from Newcastle to Liverpool for the then club-record transfer fee of €41 million, at the Reds he still ranks among the top 10 most expensive signings in club history.