Coventry City may still regret Andy Carroll call that could have made them millions: View | OneFootball

When it comes to recent transfer business, there are not many clubs that can boast a record as strong as Coventry City's.

In recent years, the Sky Blues have picked up some excellent finds. For example, in 2021, Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres was reportedly signed for just £1 million, whilst the year prior, Dutch-born midfielder Gustavo Hamer was brought in for just £1.5 million.

These players proved real stars for Coventry City, and netted the club a significant profit when they eventually departed the CBS Arena last summer.

Gyokeres, for example, was sold to Sporing Lisbon in Portugal for a reported £20 million fee, whilst Hamer moved to Sheffield United ahead of their Premier League return for £15 million.

Whilst their recent business has been impressive, unfortunately, the club have not always nailed their transfer dealings.

Indeed, back in 2008, the club made a real blunder when they failed to snap up Andy Carroll from Newcastle United.

According to CoventryLive, chairman Ray Ranson and chief scout Andy Thorn had identified Carroll as an up-and-coming star, having kept an eye on Carroll whilst he was on loan with Preston in 2007/08.

Reportedly, Newcastle wanted just shy of £1 million pound to sign Carroll at the time, but frustratingly, the club's owners are said to have blocked the move, meaning the Sky Blues did not get their man.

Andy Carroll could have made Coventry City millions

In hindsight, that was a terrible decision for the club's owners to make, as Carroll went on to become a very good player, and could well have netted the Sky Blues a significant transfer profit down the line.

In the 2008/09 campaign, for example, Carroll scored his first goals for Newcastle, with three in 16 appearances in all competitions that season. However, it was the next season Carroll would really show his ability.

With Newcastle relegated to the Championship, Carroll was made a focal point of their team, and it paid off. The powerful forward went on to net 17 league goals and register 12 league assists as Newcastle United romped to the title and promotion that season.

Back up in the Premier League, Carroll continued his fine form into 2010/11, going on to net 11 goals and register eight assists in 19 league matches between August and December before a huge club came calling.

That winter window, Liverpool snapped up the Magpies forward, forking out a reported £35 million for his signature, a British transfer record back then.

Whilst this is still a significant transfer fee today, at the time, it was even more so. For context, later that year, Manchester City would sign Sergio Aguero from Athletico Madrid for the same price.

Having seen Carroll go for such a fee, and previously fire Newcastle to the Premier League, those who rejected the deal at Coventry City must have had serious regrets about rejecting the deal discussed above.

Not only did Coventry City miss out on having what at Championship level proved to be a lethal player on their hands, they also missed out on a potentially huge transfer fee and a serious profit.

Of course, we all know that Carroll's Liverpool spell did not go as planned, and that the forward would go on to suffer with injuries. But, in those early days, he was fit enough and playing well enough to have been a real success story had Coventry City's ownership given his signing the green light.

Instead, the Sky Blues just have to accept that this is one they missed out on, both on the pitch with his goals and assists, and off it with regards to the fee he would have eventually been sold on for.