Just days after Steve Bruce insisted Dwight Gayle would get another opportunity at Newcastle, the Sun has reported that West Bromwich Albion are keen to take him back to the Hawthorns.
Gayle was a big success during his loan spell in the Midlands, but it was thought wages prevented the Baggies turning his temporary move into a permanent one.
Whether Bruce would be keen on letting the player leave, with Newcastle’s goal-scoring situation currently nothing short of abysmal, is doubtful.
That said, if Gayle’s starts are few and far between, or if Andy Carroll is given the nod over him, it would be no surprise to hear of the striker agitating for a move.
Doubtful that Gayle will ever be a Premier League success
Personally, I do not think Gayle will ever be a real success in the Premier League, and – as I wrote previously – I will be the first to hold my hands up and say I was wrong, should he go on to score consistently.
Bruce has continued to talk up Gayle recently, and keeps harping back to the fact he tried to sign him at other clubs, so everything points to him throwing Gayle a start in the near future, and it could even come as soon as Sunday.
West Brom are currently top of the Championship and joint top scorers with Preston, who both have 24 goals, so the prospect of adding Gayle – a prolific scorer in the Championship – will send a big message to their rivals.
Should they firm up their interest, it would be interesting to see whether Gayle would prefer to stay and fight for his place, or go to where he would have more first-team chances.
But for now, he must focus on Newcastle, and try to prove fans like me wrong, by showing that he can score top flight goals.
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