Can we really pull off a transfer masterclass?

The unlikely transfer As soon as news broke regarding our rather audacious bid to bring Andy Carroll back to Newcastle, I always knew that the headlines would be dominated by it for the next few days or so.

And so it is proving with numerous and plentiful headlines reporting many different bits and bobs and potential obstacles that could stand in the way of any deal ever coming off.

Sure it's exciting, maybe even romantic, but I honestly can't see it happening for us as there are an awful lot of potential obstacles that could scupper any deal. I'll go into the issues in more detail below, but suffice to say that I think this transfer, whilst sensational, won't happen for a combination of the reasons I'm about to mention.

Liverpool are unlikely to want to lose so much money on a player they paid £35m for 18 months ago, especially when you consider that the club interested in buying the player is the very same one that ripped the eyes out of the deal and bragged about it soon after. The public humiliation would be too much for Liverpool to handle in my opinion, especially if we bought him back for less than half of what was paid for him.

Then there are the dynamics of any deal and the fine print involved which would cover wages. Carroll is reportedly on somewhere in the region of £75k a week. I've read a lot of people saying how he'd take a pay cut and all he's ever wanted to do is play for Newcastle, but he was doing just that and was happy enough to sign for more money at Liverpool and move away from Newcastle in the first place wasn't he? He's a footballer, end of.

Apparently he is interested in a move back to Newcastle and the reason this story has been made public is to put some pressure on him to force things along himself. My question is how much of a pay cut would he really be willing to take? Or how much close would the club be willing to go to his current wage? Only Andy Carroll, his agent, and the club will know that one...

I very much doubt it is going to happen, for these and more reasons. However, to borrow a cliche, football is a funny old game and anything can happen so in this mad world that is Newcastle United I'm not going to rule it out totally.

Just 95% instead...