Leeds United, amongst other Championship clubs, are interested in signing Dwight Gayle from Newcastle United according to reports in The Telegraph, with the Magpies setting their price at £15m.
Gayle, 30, has been with Newcastle since 2016 after joining from Crystal Palace, and he has proven Championship quality having been in the PFA Team of the Year for 2016/17 alongside being named Championship Player of the Year when his goals propelled Newcastle to the title. After not making a single start this season and just four substitute appearances in the Premier League, Gayle could boost the attacking prowess of any side vying for promotion to the top flight.
The History and Statistics
After being released by Arsenal as a teenager, Gayle joined League Two club Dagenham and Redbridge in 2011. During his second season with the League 2 side, the striker played just half a season, impressing so much further down the divisions that Peterborough United in the Championship took him on loan and, after scoring five goals in six matches, they made the loan permanent.
Though at the end of the season having scored 13 Championship goals in 29 games, newly-promoted Premier League side Crystal Palace acquired Gayle for an undisclosed fee. Gayle initially struggled to adapt to the Premier League which was not helped by injury, but he did return towards the end of the season to score twice against Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool to seal a 3-3 draw.
Once again, the striker struggled to hold down a starting place during the 2014/15 campaign, making just 11 starts, though due to his goals in cup competitions Gayle finished as Crystal Palace top scorer in all competitions with ten goals. While the following campaign was much of the same as Gayle struggled to hold down a starting position and was absent through injury.
During the summer of 2016 the Premier League striker elected to drop back into the Championship to join relegated Newcastle United, the move proved to be incredibly successful as he scored 23 goals. Only a recurring hamstring injury stopped the striker scoring more often. With Newcastle promoted back to the Premier League, Gayle found goals hard to come by, so last term he was sent on loan to West Bromwich Albion to aid their promotion push where he once again scored 23 Championship goals.
The Prospects
If Gayle were to make a move to Leeds or any of the other Championship clubs pushing for promotion he has been linked with, as The Telegraph suggests, his proven record in the division would boost their chances of making the upwards transition. Especially for a side like Leeds who have created plenty of opportunities for their forwards who have been unable to finish regularly, Gayle would be an outstanding asset to have in their side.
One issue with Gayle, however, is that his track-record of only being able to score frequently in the second tier may put clubs off signing a 30-year-old player for £15m if they doubt his ability to keep them in the Premier League. The striker has never hit double figures in the top flight, and from four seasons he has 21 goals, whereas in both his full Championship seasons he’s scored 23.
His manager Steve Bruce is reportedly hoping that clubs will be put off by his price tag, as he does not wish to let Gayle go, having used him four times as a substitute this season. Though the player may see his future in the North East as being over, since the club signed Joelinton and Andy Carroll during the summer, both of whom have been preferred to Gayle in the current campaign.
