Is Andy Carroll's return to Newcastle just a matter of time?

In the world of newspapers, they call it the silly season, and it usually happens in August – with the bosses on holiday, stories that may not otherwise pass the quality control test end up as headline news. In the world of football, it happens when there’s an international window. Like this one.

Domestic football’s ceasefire kicked in with West Ham seventh in the Premier League and fans looking to the future with uncharacteristic optimism, and one of the questions inspired by those forward glances is – how will Andy Carroll fit in when he returns?

The Irons’ improved early season form has largely come about by the efforts of players plugging the hole left by the former Newcastle striker, so when he recovers from his latest knock, will the club’s record signing find a way back into the team, or will he be surplus to requirements?

Sam Allardyce is a manager for whom the phrase ‘tried and tested methods’ could have been invented, and Carroll was signed to fit his heavily relied-upon blueprint featuring an old fashioned centre-forward. However, that approach’s limitations became clear last season with Carroll suffering yet another long-term injury, and when the team dragged themselves free of the relegation mire, the keystone of Allardyce’s grand design barely contributed.

This season, with Carroll missing again, new methods and players have resulted in a new concept – attacking, winning football – so his absence has been no big deal. When he does – eventually – return, there may be an awkward decision to be made; upset a winning formula by trying to accommodate someone who does not fit the mould, or leave the most expensive player at the club kicking (but trying not to injure) his heels on the sidelines?

Of course this is all ifs and buts, but should it happen, that latter scenario would be embarrassing for all involved. Time for a tactical exit? If so, where better than his hometown club Newcastle. Looking around, it is hard to see what other option he would have.

Carroll is football’s equivalent of a premature baby. Newly capped by England and aged just 22, his 2011 move from Newcastle to Liverpool to fill the Fernando Torres vacuum did him no favours whatsoever. Short-term he fell victim to managerial change, long-term his overblown price tag left him labelled damaged goods.

Were Carroll to leave West Ham, this would rule out the elite clubs straight off, leaving Newcastle an ever-more obvious destination. The return of someone fans were so unhappy to lose in the first place would be as good PR as much-maligned owner Mike Ashley could buy.

Opinions on Carroll amongst West Ham fans seem divided between scorn and sympathy, but either way, the general feeling is recent events have revealed him to be less vital than we were told for two years. Should West Ham’s record signing end up a square peg in search of a hole, the best move for all involved seems clear. Back to where he started, where he’s most appreciated and valued.