Andy Carroll chases World Cup place after sealing record £15.5m switch from Liverpool to West Ham
The England striker has signed a six-year deal at the club
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Your support makes all the difference.Andy Carroll hopes his club record move to West Ham United will help him cement a place in the England squad ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The 24-year-old forward has finalised what is understood to have been a club record £15.5m deal, plus a further £2m in add-ons, from Liverpool after passing a medical.
Carroll, whose six-year deal could be extended by a further two, scored seven times in 24 league appearances while on loan at West Ham last season.
Much of his stay in east London was hampered by injuries, with a heel problem ruling him out of contention for England's end-of-season friendlies against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley and Brazil at the Maracana. However, Carroll feels if all goes well for him at West Ham next season he should be very much in Roy Hodgson's plans in the build-up to the World Cup in Brazil.
"I just want to keep fit now, keep scoring goals and performing week in and week out for West Ham. If I do that here, play well and keep fit, then hopefully I will get in the England team," Carroll said.
The completion of the deal brings to an end a largely disappointing spell at Anfield, where he never made a major impact following a high-profile £35m deadline-day move from Newcastle in January 2011. Carroll scored 11 times in 58 appearances for the club, but when Kenny Dalglish was replaced as manager by Brendan Rodgers last summer it became apparent his chances of regular first-team football would be minimal.
Now, Carroll is focused on helping West Ham build on a creditable 10th place last season. "The way the club is being run, it is only going up, and that is what I want to be a part of," he said. "It is going to be even better [at the Olympic Stadium] when even more fans can fit in and I can't wait."
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