Newcastle United: Dwight Gayle agrees to join West Brom
By Durim Halimi
Dwight Gayle has agreed to leave Newcastle United to play in the EFL Championship for West Brom.
After two seasons with Newcastle United, Dwight Gayle has agreed to join West Brom on a season-long loan deal. West Brom’s addition of Gayle simultaneously opened the door for Salomon Rondon to make his departure to join Newcastle United.
Gayle has been linked with several transfer rumors since January of last season, but Rafa Benitez gave the 28-year-old striker another chance to prove himself. In the end, Gayle failed to meet the Spaniard’s expectations and is now headed back down to the second tier of English football.
It is worth mentioning that the reported agreement between West Brom and Newcastle states that the Baggies are not obligated to buy Gayle upon the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign. In other words, this deal only serves as a temporary good-bye for Gayle from Newcastle.
From Average to Prolific
Newcastle signed Gayle in the summer of 2016 and his arrival on Tyneside significantly strengthened the Magpies’ roster. Gayle made 34 appearances for Newcastle in his debut season and scored an astonishing 23 goals.
The 2016-17 EFL Championship campaign was the best statistical season in Gayle’s professional career and his 23 goals paved the way for Newcastle to earn promotion to the Premier League. When Newcastle began their new journey in the top flight, Benitez and the Toon Army were optimistic that Gayle could be a goal scoring machine once again.
However, Gayle’s reputation quickly changed from being a prolific scorer in the EFL Championship to being an average striker in the Premier League. Gayle utilized his pace and good movement off the ball to create scoring opportunities, but he lacked sufficient precision.
As a result, Gayle saw an alarming drop in form as he only managed to score six goals in the Premier League for Newcastle. On a personal level, Gayle is surely disappointed to drop down to the EFL Championship, but it is where he is meant to be.
With Gayle’s name on the team sheet, West Brom should be a top contender for earning promotion back to the Premier League. Gayle is a top striker in the second tier and his quick feet will cause several problems for opposing defensive units. It is unfortunate to see Gayle struggle the way he did on Tyneside, but he is a much better fit for West Brom.