Derek Llambias: "We didn't push Andy Carroll out, far from it - he asked to go.
"The fact is Mike Ashley didn't want to sell him, it's not like he needs the money is it?
"And remember we turned down bids of £30m and then £35m from Liverpool.
"That's serious money for a 22-year-old with only six months' experience in the Premier League.
"But finally Mike's point of view was the player's put in a transfer request, so what can we do?
"Andy was already earning top money at the club after signing a new deal recently.
"But he said he'd been offered £80,000-a-week from Liverpool and asked what we would pay to make him stay. We told him the club just couldn't afford to give him a deal like that, nothing close.
"And when we said 'No' - well, that's when he put in his transfer request.
"Yes, he went in our helicopter. But the sooner the deal was done the sooner we could make our own moves in the transfer market. It was already very late.
"Every penny of the £35m will stay in the club."
The transfer window came and went ... with only ONE loser ... NEWCASTLE UNITED!
The only Premiership club worse off than when the transfer window opened.
That's Mike Ashley for you!
