England striker Andy Carroll is set to join West Ham for a fee of £15million from Liverpool, after he passed a medical with the Hammers.

Carroll is expected to sign a six-year contract with the Irons.

The 24-year-old striker joined Liverpool in the 2011 transfer window for a British record transfer fee of £35million.

Struggle

Carroll never quite found his best form on Merseyside and was at one point criticised for his lifestyle, when he was accused of drinking heavily. Carroll denied the claims, but he struggled to perform in a red shirt.

Carroll’s record of just six goals in 44 appearances for Liverpool was not exactly great for a player that cost such a big fee. In fact, Carroll seemed to struggle to live up to the inflated fee and only showed glimpses of his undoubted ability.

Move

Brendan Rodgers arrival as Liverpool boss signalled the end of Carroll’s Reds career. Carroll never fitted into Rodgers style of play and he moved to West Ham on-loan last summer, with a view to a permanent transfer this summer.

Although Carroll experienced a few injuries last season, the England striker scored seven times in just 24 appearances, one more than his time at Liverpool in 20 less games. The Irons played to Carroll’s strengths and all of a sudden the striker looked like a threat to opposition defences once again.

His performances for West Ham were enough to convince the Irons to sign him on a permanent basis.

Shine

At 24, Carroll is still relatively young and still has a lot of potential. He showed last season that he could produce on a regular basis in the top flight. The striker will be able to play without the pressure of a crazy £35million price tag on his head.

Next season should be when Andy Carroll will shine and finally become the striker that everybody thought he would be.

Will Andy Carroll be a good signing for West Ham?