ANDY CARROLL is set to drop down to the FOURTH TIER of French football as he prepares to join Bordeaux, according to reports.
The former England striker, 35, spent last season with Ligue 2 side Amiens, scoring four goals in 31 appearances.
Now L’Equipe understands the striker is poised to leave the second-division club and drop down a further two levels.
Six-time French champions Bordeaux play their football in the Championnat National 2 after they went into administration and were punished with a double relegation last month.
Despite being in the fourth tier, Carroll will play in front of a 42,000-capacity stadium in south-west France.
Yet it still shows the disappointing fall from grace for the 6ft 4in striker who earned nine England caps.
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Carroll broke through at Newcastle and earned a £35million move to Liverpool in 2011 after scoring 11 goals in 19 Premier League games during the first half of the campaign.
He arrived at Anfield in the same month as Luis Suarez and for a bigger fee, but failed to have anywhere near the impact of the Uruguayan.
He had made his international debut shortly before joining Liverpool and went on to be selected by Roy Hodgson for Euro 2012, scoring in a 3-2 win over Sweden.
But at club level Carroll scored just 11 times in 58 appearances across an 18-month stint at Liverpool.
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He signed for West Ham on loan in 2012 where he would end up agreeing a permanent deal – culminating in a six-year stay consisting of 34 goals in 142 matches.
A failed two-season spell back at Newcastle saw him score just one goal, marking an end to his days in the top flight.
Since 2021, Carroll has signed for Reading twice and West Brom, scoring 14 times in 57 games.
He then moved to France with Amiens in a bid to revive his career, but could only muster four goals last season.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
