SunSport can today reveal the incredible change in fortunes for
both Carroll, 22, and owner Mike Ashley after we learned of the
club business plan for 2009-10.
The document was put together for prospective bidders after
Ashley publicly declared he wanted to sell the club.
It is a detailed breakdown of the entire 21-man senior playing
staff, including their individual transfer values along with a key
code next to each name indicating whether they should be retained,
sold or monitored.
Carroll was involved in the Newcastle side which went down to
the Championship. But his future, like many Toon stars, was up in
the air.
He had scored only three goals in 14 Premier League games and
the jury was out.
However, the big forward hit the ground running in the
Championship campaign - bagging 17 goals in 39 matches as Newcastle
romped to the title.
Then, after continuing with 11 in 19 games in the Premier League
this season and winning a first England cap against France,
Carroll's value went through the roof.
Spurs tried to get him for £20m in January but Kop boss Kenny
Dalglish struck on transfer deadline day after selling Fernando
Torres to Chelsea for £50m.
A Newcastle source said: "There were soundings taken around the
club about how players should be valued and there was a feeling
Andy still had to prove himself.
"He was a young lad who wasn't established in the first team and
he had limited experience in the Premier League.
"It was a case of seeing how he got on at the start of last
season. "Andy did really well and started scoring plenty of goals.
"But if anyone had come in with a £1m offer that summer you wonder
what the club would have done."
The likes of Obafemi Martins, who scored Sunday's Carling Cup
winner for Birmingham against Arsenal, and Sebastien Bassong were
both given £8m price tags - and were sold in the summer of
2009.
Martins had been listed as one to sell and went to German side
Wolfsburg for £9m. Bassong, in the retained column, was still
flogged to Spurs for his £8m valuation.
Newcastle were desperately trying to get the high wage-earners
off their books as they prepared for life in the lower
division.
And they were ready to take a big hit on the fees they had paid.
Defender Fabricio Coloccini, who had joined for £10.5m from
Deportivo La Coruna a year earlier, was on sale for £3m because the
Toon wanted to save on his £70,000-a-week wages.
Argentinian wideman Jonas Gutierrez, signed for around £10m a
year before, was also up for grabs at £3m. Irish winger Damien
Duff, rated at £3m, went to Fulham for that amount and defender
Habib Beye joined Aston Villa for £2.5m - even though both were
identified as players to keep.
Newcastle were also trying to shift Spanish full-back Jose
Enrique for just over half what they had paid for him two years
earlier. Enrique cost £6.3m from Villarreal but was marked as one
to sell for £3.5m. Enrique, who had not impressed at the time, is
now considered one of Newcastle's most valuable assets but will
only have a year left on his contract at the end of this
season.
Liverpool are interested in reuniting him with Carroll and
Newcastle will probably cash in if they get an offer of around
£10m.
The Toon were also planning to offload Alan Smith, on £60,000 a
week, for £3m and striker Shola Ameobi for £2m. But there were no
takers. Nor could a deal be done for Joey Barton, also on
£60,000.
The midfielder was valued at £1.5m and listed in the sell
column. Barton had been involved in a late-season bust-up with
caretaker boss Alan Shearer and the club had made it plain he could
go.
Newcastle's relegated squad was valued at £56m in total.
The aim was to bring in £28m from player sales - and they were
on the way to achieving their target with the transfers of Beye,
Duff, Bassong and Martins.
The Toon insider added: "The document would have been available
to anyone who wished to go through the due diligence process with a
view to buying the club.
"Carroll was really an unknown quantity at the time and
considering he was only valued at £1m, you have to say Ashley has
done fantastic business to get £35m for him."