A week after Liverpool was believed to have accepted a £17M bid for Andy Carroll from West Ham United—and after a week of speculation that the striker had refused to leave Liverpool for anyone bar Newcastle—the London club has admitted defeat with the player continuing to resist their advances. "We wouldn't have thought we would have had any chance of signing a player of Andy Carroll's capabilities," said Hammers boss Sam Allardyce, "but it became clear a couple of weeks ago there was a possibility. Unfortunately at this moment, it's not the case." With the transfer appearing to have fully broken down due to the player's unwillingness to move, the only question remaining is whether Newcastle might resume their attempts to re-capture their former star or if Liverpool will remain stuck with an asset they had believed themselves rid of.