Former West Ham United defender Tony Gale believes Andy Carroll would be an ideal signing for The Hammers should Liverpool make him available for a loan.

Reds manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted he is considering allowing Carroll to spend the coming season on loan, and co-owner David Gold says the club would be open to a move for the England international.

And Gale, who made 300 appearances for West Ham between 1984 and 1994, is adamant that given how Rodgers' footballing philosophy conflicts with Carroll physic, the Liverpool forward would be at home with Sam Allardyce's side.

Andy Carroll
Carroll scored nine goals in his first full season for Liverpool.

"With the links to Sam [Allardyce] and Kevin Nolan, it could fit," Gale said. "You don't move for friendships' sake but Kevin had a big influence on him at Newcastle and tried to help him when he had a few wild times."

"I don't think Carroll will fit into Brendan Rodgers' style of play at Liverpool, with the way the ball is moved about," he added. "If Liverpool play that way, which they will, you'd think it will have to be [Luis] Suarez up front, so you wonder where Andy would fit in.

"Brendan is pretty set in the way he wants to play and he's going to stick to that philosophy - three in midfield, two out wide, one up front - but the movement and the way they interchange won't suit Andy.

"If you've got a centre-forward like Andy Carroll you have to play to his strengths.

Rodgers earned a reputation for preferring a cautious passing game during his time at Reading and Swansea City, rather than the direct style Liverpool have often employed during Carroll's 18-month Reds career.

While wholesale changes aren't expected ahead of the new campaign, having finished a disappointing eighth in the Premier League last season, and missed out on qualification for the Champions League for a third successive year, Rodgers is expected to adopt his own style at Anfield.

Meanwhile, West Ham, who earned promotion via the Championship play offs last season, have already brought in goalkeeping pair Stephen Henderson and Jussi Jaaskelainen, as well as George McCartney and Mohamed Diame.

Gale believes the addition of Carroll would play into the style of play manager Allardyce has adopted at Upton Park.

"The style would be different at West Ham. I'm not saying it would be all long ball, but if you get wide and get crosses in that's when he's at his best," he added.

"He's still raw, he's not got a lot of experience, and he needs game time. But when he's at his best, and you saw that at Newcastle, he's a handful - a proper, old-fashioned handful - and they're a rare breed.

"Strikers are the difference between staying in the Premier League and going out of it. And if someone like Carroll becomes available you've got to get him in. Staying in the Premier League is vital."