Former England and Liverpool striker Andy Carroll has signed for French fourth-tier club Bordeaux after leaving Amiens.

Carroll, 35, has dropped two divisions in France’s football pyramid, despite playing in all four of Amiens’ Ligue 2 matches this term.

He scored four goals in 35 appearances since joining the club in September 2023 on a free transfer from Reading.

In a statement, Bordeaux said: “His size, his goal-scoring talent and his fighting spirit will certainly help the Navy and White this season.

“We can’t wait to see him on the pitch!”

Six-time Ligue 1 winners Bordeaux surrendered their status as a professional club in July after being relegated out of Ligue 2 down to Championnat National 2 due to bankruptcy.

Across his Premier League career, Carroll scored 54 goals in 248 appearances during spells with Newcastle, Liverpool and West Ham.

For England, Carroll scored twice in nine caps, one of which was against Sweden at Euro 2012.

Carroll could make his Bordeaux debut on Saturday in a league match against Voltigeurs de Chateaubriant.

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Two Champions League finals, two defeats. No silverware but football fans around the turn of the century will not forget Gaizka Mendieta or Valencia.

For supporters in the UK, or in this writer’s case Ireland, Mendieta came out of nowhere in 1999 to become one of Europe’s most exciting players.

His peak would not last too long, but what a peak it was.

To celebrate the BBC having Champions League highlights this season, we will look at a Champions League cult hero each week there are games.

In the days of fledgling internet, before social media existed – and unless you had satellite television – the free-to-air Champions League and major tournaments were the way you discovered foreign players for the first time.

Mendieta was in his mid-20s when Valencia, for two years, were the talk of the town.

In 1999-2000, the Basque playmaker ran things for Hector Cuper’s Los Che. The classy midfielder, his hair blowing in the wind as he drifted past players, made key passes and scored significant goals.

He had a rocket of a shot from long range, quick feet that helped him elude opponents and could play centrally or on the wing. In summary, the ideal attacking midfielder.

Other stars of the team were Spain goalkeeper Santiago Canizares, France full-back Jocelyn Angloma, future Barcelona midfielder Gerard and Argentina forward Claudio Lopez.

Valencia had to come through a round of qualifying and were then unbeaten as they finished top of a group containing Bayern Munich.

Mendieta scored a fantastic strike in a 2-1 win at Rangers in that group, with a perfect hit on the bounce from the edge of the box that went in via the post.

“Mendieta is the type of player every team would love to have – not just skilful, but with imagination, and full of running and working for his team,” said Rangers boss Dick Advocaat afterwards., external

They also got through a second group stage – a short-lived Uefa addition – with Mendieta scoring penalties against Fiorentina and Bordeaux.

Then they eliminated Lazio and Barcelona in the two knockout rounds. He scored in both legs against Barcelona, including a fine 20-yard effort at the Nou Camp.

Mendieta’s performances were so impressive that Lazio and Barcelona ended up being his next two clubs.

Sadly for Valencia, they played Real Madrid in the final and lost 3-0. It was Real’s first European Cup win since 1966. A few more have followed since then.

The following year, nobody was going to underestimate Valencia or Mendieta – yet teams still struggled to stop them.

Vicente, Didier Deschamps, Pablo Aimar and John Carew were some of the iconic names to join them that season.

It was a season that will especially be remembered by a host of English teams’ fans.

Valencia finished above Manchester United in the second group phase – then knocked out Arsenal in the quarter-finals and Leeds United in the semi-finals.

Mendieta netted their third in the second leg against Leeds, with a wonderful low drive into the bottom corner from distance.

Bayern Munich awaited in the final in the San Siro. Three minutes in, Mendieta was fouled and stepped up to take the penalty, slotting it into the bottom corner beyond Oliver Kahn.

But Bayern came back, with Stefan Effenberg scoring a second-half penalty – and the German giants won the shootout 5-4. Captain Mendieta converted his spot-kick.

That was Bayern’s first European Cup since 1976; Valencia had been the opponents as two of Europe’s great clubs ended their Champions League droughts.

Mendieta was named the best midfielder at the Uefa Club Football Awards in both those seasons.

Rodri and Trent Alexander-Arnold are among Real Madrid’s targets, Man Utd interested in Karim Adeyemi and Newcastle target Angel Gomes.

Real Madrid are targeting Manchester City’s Spain midfielder Rodri, Liverpool’s 25-year-old England full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and either Arsenal’s 23-year-old France defender William Saliba or Tottenham’s Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero, 26. (Independent), external

Tottenham are planning to offer Romero a new contract to deter interested clubs. (Football Insider), external

Manchester United are interested in Borussia Dortmund’s 22-year-old Germany forward Karim Adeyemi but could face competition from Newcastle and Liverpool. (Teamtalk), external

Newcastle are among a host of Premier League clubs interested in Lille’s 24-year-old England midfielder Angel Gomes, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (Football Insider), external

West Ham and Manchester United are keen on 29-year-old Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka, who is unhappy after losing his place at Bayern Munich. (Sun), external

Everton see England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford as one of their most important players and have no plans to replace the 30-year-old with Newcastle’s fellow England international Nick Pope, 32. (Teamtalk), external

Mike Taylor, BBC Radio WM reporter

Football clubs are all about history – a club’s history is one of the main reasons why their fans care so much about it. Villa’s history weighs heavier than most. Specifically, for modern Villa players, there is 1982, an achievement that fills their supporters with pride, but sets a mighty yardstick by which their successors are matched.

Equalling that really would be something extraordinary, but the fact that Villa have returned to this level sets the current cohort of players – and of course their manager – apart from all the others who have followed the European Cup winners. The competition, after all, has changed since then in almost every respect, up to and including its name. Being back in Europe at all last year was a pleasant surprise at the time, and it meant a lot to fans. It matters to be in Europe, and being in the bigger competition now matters more.

But it’s not enough for everyone. Witness Emery, with his team leading 3-0 and obviously in total command, flapping and fussing over tiny details in the final minutes. Just being here will not do for him, and the demands he makes of his players and by extension his club remind everyone who deals with him of that, every day. Listening to the players speak, that feeling is clearly infectious.

How far that energy can carry them in the Champions League is hard to gauge in Bern tonight, but after the next game, against Bayern Munich in two weeks’ time, we’ll know more.