West Bromwich Albion may have to use the transfer window well if they want to stay in the top flight and former Albion forward Kevin Phillips believes that Andy Carroll could be a good option for his former club.

What Phillips had to say about Andy Carroll

Speaking to West Brom news, Phillips said:

"If you could guarantee he was going to stay fit for the rest of the season, I would certainly consider it because he gives you a different style.

There might be a lot of people who say ‘oh this is going to be route-one football’ but it’s about winning a football match and if that means bringing in a 6ft 5 or 6ft 6 centre-forward and you play a different style of play, we know Andy Carroll on his day can be unplayable.

It’s just whether you can guarantee keeping him fit and for me, it’s a gamble. If you put all your eggs in one basket in getting him in and he gets injured in the first few weeks, you’re back to square one.

Ultimately, it might be a gamble worth having a little nibble at because they need to do something. It hasn’t quite worked for Karlan Grant. I know you’ve got Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu but someone like Andy Carroll – who obviously Big Sam knows – could be a good option. But I’m not sure that if he stays fit, Steve Bruce would let him go with the situation they’re in as well."

Would this be a good signing for West Brom?

The forward has played 336 times in his career, scoring 79 goals and picking up 50 assists (Transfermarkt). He can be a target man, but this isn't the best goalscoring record for a striker. The 31-year-old constantly struggles to play regularly and the Baggies should be looking for a forward who is performing well right now.

Carroll is also very injury-prone, so it would seem like a very risky signing, one that would just seem like the club are wasting money on wages, something they cannot afford to do in their situation.

In other news, West Brom fans hammered this man against Palace.