Andy Carroll to join West Ham for £17m – but first he's on loan from Liverpool

Allardyce agrees half-price deal for 'all-round' Liverpool striker once season-long switch is complete

Andy Carroll left Liverpool for a season-long loan move to West Ham United last night.

The 23-year-old centre-forward agreed a loan, with an option for a permanent £17m deal next summer. West Ham will pay a £1.5m loan fee to Liverpool and all of Carroll's wages for the 2012-13 season.

West Ham had tried earlier in the summer to bring Carroll to the Boleyn Ground but the striker was thought to prefer a move back to Newcastle United, the club which he left for Liverpool for £35m in January 2011.

But Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had made it clear earlier this week that Carroll was not in his first-team plans and that the club would benefit from moving him off their payroll for the season. "I believe it has been difficult for him in his period here," Rodgers said last night. "He hasn't played anywhere near as regularly as he wanted to and he wanted this to be a season where he was going to be playing regularly.

"Obviously I couldn't guarantee that and obviously getting later into the window it still wasn't the case. He wants to play and unfortunately for us we are not really in the position to have a £35million player not playing regularly.

"The club made a monumental investment in Andy but it is no good him being on the bench. At this moment in time there are others ahead of him."

Carroll was not in Rodgers' squad for last night's Europa League game at home against Hearts. The 18-year-old striker Adam Morgan started up front with Luis Suarez. Liverpool also last night completed the £1m signing of 18-year-old German striker Samed Yesil from Bayer Leverkusen.

West Ham's manager, Sam Allardyce, said: "I think for all parties this is a great signing. Andy is an all-round footballer, but because he is 6ft 3in and one of his strengths is his aerial power, everybody dismisses the ability he possesses on the floor. Hopefully he can score goals for us and we will be in a very good position at the end of the year in the Premier League."

Carroll added: "It's great to be here at West Ham and all signed up – I just can't wait to get started now."

With Carroll joining West Ham, it ends a high-profile spell at Liverpool. He joined for £35m on the last day of the January 2011 transfer window, after the departure of Fernando Torres to Chelsea for £50m, but struggled for a first-team impact. Carroll scored just 11 goals for Liverpool.