Liverpool were so desperate to get rid of Andy Carroll that they paid him more than £1 million to leave the club according to the Times.
“West Ham completed the signing of the striker from Liverpool on a six-year contract for a club-record fee earlier this week.
The paper claims that Carroll would have preferred to sign for former club Newcastle United but they were only willing to pay £10m while West Ham offered £15.5 million, plus £2 million in additional payments.
Liverpool had paid £35 million to land the striker from Newcastle in 2011 but offered a ‘golden handshake’ to get him off their books.
The Times reports: “Liverpool asked for an increased transfer fee from West Ham and have used some of this money for Carroll’s severance payment.
“It illustrates the extent to which Liverpool wanted to sell Carroll, who earned almost £80,000 a week, to reduce the club’s wage bill and recoup some of the £35 million that they paid Newcastle for the striker.”
The paper also says that West Ham gave Carroll a ‘slight pay-rise’ to help complete the move.
Carroll spent last season on loan at Upton Park, scoring seven times in 24 league appearances despite an injury-hit a campaign.
After completing his move earlier this week he said: “It’s fantastic for me to be here. I really enjoyed last season, and that shows in me coming back and making it permanent.
“The fans, the lads and the club itself has been great to me, and what I wanted to do was come back here and play football.
“Since the end of the season I’ve had a lot of time to think, I’ve missed it and that’s why I’m back.”
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