Premier League Icon Makes Incredible Non-League Career Move | OneFootball

The career path of former Premier League striker Andy Carroll continues to amaze, with the 36-year-old set to ply his trade in England’s sixth tier next season.

Carroll burst onto the scene with boyhood club Newcastle United at the start of the 2010s, with his breakthrough earning him a big-money move to Liverpool in 2011. The towering forward failed to justify his hefty £35 million ($47.3 million) price tag, however, and had better luck in the more humble environment of West Ham United.

Amid a flurry of injuries, Carroll spent six years in east London, scoring 26 Premier League goals for the Hammers.

Following his exit in 2019, Carroll returned to Newcastle for two years before enjoying brief stints at Reading and West Bromwich Albion. He then took his talents overseas, signing for Ligue 2 outfit Amiens in 2023 and Bordeaux, who were even further down the French pyramid, the following year.

Carroll entered the summer as a free agent, and his latest move has since been revealed. The striker is returning home and will be competing in the National League South for Dagenham & Redbridge, who were relegated to the sixth tier last season. The BBC are among those to confirm that Carroll has signed a three-year deal with the Daggers, who have just been sold to a consortium of private investors from Qatar.

The 36-year-old has also reportedly bought a minority stake in the club.

“It doesn’t matter the level, or anything, as long as I get on the pitch and play football, that’s all that matters," Carroll said in an interview with Sky Sports.

“Coming here and showing people I am just playing for the love of football rather than the money and the level is something I wanted to do. This is something which could be fantastic. We have a project to get them out of non-league and back up the leagues.”

Carroll, who played nine times for England and scored at Euro 2012, said he garnered interest from clubs in “higher leagues” this summer, but will instead spend 2025–26 and beyond travelling to the likes of AFC Totton, Enfield Town and Chesham United.

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