Dwight Gayle’s future at Newcastle United is severely in doubt.
According to the Telegraph, the Magpies will make the striker available for loan when the January transfer window opens next month.
The report adds that Nottingham Forest and West Brom are interested in a deal.
Gayle has barely featured for Newcastle this season. He’s only started one game – the EFL Cup defeat to Burnley in August. He’s made three substitute appearances in the Premier League, but is yet to feature under Eddie Howe.
Moving him on in January makes complete sense, and the Northern Echo add that he could leave permanently in the summer.
That’s despite the fact we could be in a division that Gayle knows very well.
Gayle is deadly in the Championship
When Newcastle signed Gayle, we were set to embark on a season in English football’s second tier.
He was brought in to score the goals we needed for promotion, and he did just that. Gayle scored 23 times in 32 league appearances. It was the highest tally in the league for a Newcastle player since Alan Shearer netted 23 times in the 2001/02 season. Although that was in the Premier League, not the Championship.
Gayle performed just as well in his last season in the Championship. He went on loan to West Brom for the 2018/19 campaign, and scored 23 times in the league before grabbing another in the playoffs.
In contrast, his best Premier League tally for the Magpies is six.
Since he returned from his loan spell at West Brom, Gayle has scored just five goals.
He arguably should have left the club over the summer, but instead he was given a new deal. That’s because it was cheaper than signing a replacement, which became the Mike Ashley way.
Now the new Toon owners are footing the bill. But it appears they are looking to the future, despite relegation being a real possibility.
Time to go for Gayle – Newcastle must look to the future
Some may argue that it is worth keeping Gayle next summer if we go down. He’s a fantastic Championship scorer, which can be the difference between going up or staying down.
However, letting him leave for good is the right thing to do. This is a new era for Newcastle United. We no longer need to rely on the players who have served us for longer than necessary.
Yes, Gayle may score plenty in the Championship. But we’d have the same problem again if we got promoted.
The former Palace man has done a great job for Newcastle, but he’s passed his sell by date. The Magpies must ship him out on loan in January, and make plans for him to leave permanently in the summer of 2022 – even if we are a Championship team.
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