Amiens have a propensity for former Magpies strikers, with Andy Carroll signing to fill the vacancy created by Papiss Cisse.
Andy Carroll, a Newcastle United star, completed a Deadline Day transfer to Ligue 2 side Amiens after being relegated to League One with Reading last season.
The huge Geordie still had a year left on his contract with the Berkshire club and had played in the Royals’ first two third-division games, but he secured a move to the French second tier with just hours on the clock. Carroll’s move was one of the most surprising of the summer window, with many people astonished to see such a big name join a team that finished 12th in Ligue 2 last season.
Fans online figured out who Amiens boss Omar Daf signed the Gateshead-born talisman to replace – none other than fellow Newcastle United hero Papiss Cisse.
The 38-year-old, who enjoyed some incredible moments in black-and-white, spent last season at Amiens where he enjoyed a successful spell, scoring 13 goals in 32 appearances for the club. Cisse then left the side this summer and is now a free agent.
The French side will hope Carroll provides the goals that Cisse did last year and the former Liverpool star has certainly hit the ground running. The 34-year-old came off the bench against Guingamp in the 66th minute on Saturday, the day after completing his transfer, with the score at 1-1. Carroll didn’t net himself but proved a focal point for the team who managed to finish the match 4-1 victors.
The new Amiens striker and Cisse never overlapped with time at St James’ Park with the Senegalese international signed just 12 months after Carroll made his big-money move to Merseyside.
Newcastle United fans joked that the transfer was a ‘throwback’ to see the two former Magpies mentioned together. Meanwhile, another joked that Demba Ba would be next on Amiens’ shopping list. One fan added: “Shame that Amiens didn’t sign Carroll to partner Cisse and really go for a #nufc of different eras pairing.”
