The Newcastle veteran that has blown his chances to impress

There’s zero doubt that Callum Wilson is the first-choice striker at Newcastle United. But, while he’s been injured this season, there has been a massive voice behind him on the depth chart up top.

With fans often frustrated by Joelinton and tired of seeing Andy Carroll, Dwight Gayle was the name that kept coming up for more opportunities up top. But, the veteran forward has done anything but take advantage of those chances this season.

Gayle got the start up top with Joelinton yesterday vs. Spurs. Unlike the Brazilian, Gayle couldn’t find the back of the net.

In the first half, he put a header on target but couldn’t beat Hugo Lloris. To make matters worse, the rebound came back to him at close range and he still wasn’t able to knock the ball in.

Dwight Gayle has continued to squander chances to establish himself as a competent striker for Newcastle United.

Also, he completely botched a pass to a wide-open Miguel Almiron, who would’ve been one-on-one with Lloris.

Unfortunately, this was a pretty typical performance from Gayle. His pace is a nice attribute in the attack, but his product in the final third has been quite poor.

He scored in his season debut in December after missing the start of the campaign due to a knee injury. That is his only goal in 14 total appearances and he has zero assists.

In the past couple of weeks, Gayle has reportedly been offered a new contract and appears likely to re-sign. For Newcastle, that type of commitment to a struggling striker would only pay off if they get relegated because Gayle’s consistent in the second division.

The season isn’t over yet, but with Wilson nearing a return, Gayle is running out of chances to prove he belongs.