Andy Carroll cleared to face Millwall as West Brom confirm transfer

West Brom have confirmed that they have signed Andy Carroll on a short-term deal until the end of the season.

Albion spent £7m on Daryl Dike, whose arrival was announced on New Year’s Day, but 50 minutes into his first start for the club he pulled up with a muscle injury and it has since been revealed that the US international will be missing for at the very least two months.

So Albion, who are looking to move out loanee Jordan Hugill before Monday night’s transfer deadline, have had to dip back into the market again before the window shuts and they’ve moved to bring in free agent Carroll for the remaining 18 matches - ten of which they’ll be without Dike.

Carroll, who turned 33 earlier this month, had spent the last couple of months at Championship rivals Reading and featured against Albion at The Hawthorns as the Royals suffered a 1-0 defeat before Christmas.

He scored twice in eight league appearances in his short stay in Berkshire, but that short-term deal expired and though Reading were keen to keep him, Carroll was eager to keep his options open and see what else presented itself.

As it’s transpired, Albion have.

“Andy is a player who is able to help us straight away. He is ready and brings with him all the attributes we need. It could be a win-win situation for us," boss Valerien Ismael explained.

“The fact Andy has played plenty of games for Reading recently is great. He’s fit after playing those games and he’s scored goals during that short-term deal. Hopefully Andy can now score goals for us.

“After the Dike injury we assessed the situation, because it is a big loss, and it was clear that he had made an impact in that short time. We needed to replace him, and we are pleased to welcome Andy who has a lot of