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Andy Carroll 'gears up for a move to FOURTH-TIER side'

Nine-time England international Andy Carroll is reportedly set to join a fourth-tier French club from Ligue 2 side Amiens.

Carroll signed for Amiens after he exercised a release clause in his contract to leave Reading in August last year.

However, Carroll managed to score just four goals in 31 appearances across all competitions for Amiens last season and has had to make do with just one start in the 2024-25 Ligue 2 campaign.

L'Equipe report that Carroll will join Bordeaux, who were relegated to the French fourth tier after they declared bankruptcy and were placed into financial administration in August.

Carroll began his career at Newcastle and had stops at Liverpool, West Ham and West Brom

The report also claims it was Amiens sporting director John Williams who played a key role in convincing Carroll to drop down and join Bordeaux.

Although Williams remains in his role at Amiens, he has reportedly been involved in helping Bordeaux build a new squad.

Carroll's mooted stint at Bordeaux would mark the eighth club he has played for throughout his career.

The towering striker came through the ranks at Newcastle United and made his Premier League debut in the 2006-07 season.

Carroll's impressive form for the Magpies earned him a move to Liverpool in 2011 but he was unable to repeat the magic at Anfield.

The Reds sold him to West Ham United in the summer window in 2012, only for his career to go full circle when he rejoined Newcastle in 2019.

Stints at Reading and West Bromwich Albion followed before he joined Amiens in 2023.

However, Bordeaux may prove to be one of his biggest challenges in football yet given their recent troubles.

Despite being the sixth-most successful club in French football, years of financial mismanagement and ownership troubles caught up with Bordeaux in the summer.

As a result, the club was forced to relinquish its professional status and close down its training ground indefinitely as all of their players' contracts were terminated.

Bordeaux was first placed into administration in 2021 after American owners King Street declared they would not financially support the club any longer due to a decrease in revenue as a result of the Covid pandemic and TV rights holder Mediapro's bankruptcy.

Businessman Gerard Lopez bought the club from King Street but financial troubles remained and Bordeaux were relegated for the first time in 30 years in his first season at the club.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

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