Andy Carroll agrees shock deadline day move to French minnows

Andy Carroll has signed a new deal with French club Amiens, according to reports.

The former England international spent the 2022/23 season with Reading, but was unable to help them beat the drop as they suffered relegation to League One.

He was handed a start in their last two league matches, but will reportedly leave the Madejski Stadium in search of a new challenge abroad.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Carroll would cross the English Channel to join Amiens. French outlet RMC (via The Sun) have now confirmed the news, claiming he has signed a contract with the Ligue 2 side.

Carroll is set to play alongside ex Chelsea youngster Gael Kakuta, who played for the club between 2009 and 20015 in northern France, in a move that will no doubt baffle supporters.

It is the first time in Carroll has played abroad, with the 34-year-old previously playing for Newcastle before sealing a big-money move to Liverpool in 2011 - which was ultimately deemed a failure.

The nine-cap England international scored just 11 goals in 58 appearances for the Reds before moving to West Ham, where he went on to spend seven years.

An emotional reunion with Newcastle capped off his Premier League career in 2019, before joining Reading and later West Brom.

A return to Reading followed, with the striker making the headlines for a naughty challenge on Christian Eriksen in the fourth round of the FA Cup which left the Manchester United midfielder sidelined for several months.

When asked if he is the type of person to want to seek revenge for the challenge, Eriksen gave a graceful response.

"No, I'm not that type of person," he added. "Maybe in '99 it was different but no, not that. I don't have that [little black book], no.

"For me, it was more the thing I was surprised he didn’t get a yellow card or anything like that. 'What is this?' But, no, I'm not in that way [of getting revenge]."