Newcastle United journalist Liam Kennedy has given his thoughts on Dwight Gayle and his future at the club following the January transfer window.
To say that Gayle has been an afterthought at St. James’ Park in the past season and a half would be something of an understatement, as he has only made 25 appearances going back to the start of the 2020/21 season, with his last start in the league coming in their 2-1 victory over Burnley back in April.
Reports did suggest that he could be on his way out of the club during the January transfer window, with The Athletic claiming that he would be “made available for sale once Newcastle have sufficient resources”. However, that move did not come, putting into some doubt whether or not the club will utilise him for the remainder of the season.
Speaking about the situation on NUFC Matters and whether he would still be in Newcastle’s 25-man-squad for the Premier League following the raft of incomings in the January window, Kennedy gave his assessment of what might happen to Gayle now that the window was closed, hinting that there might be a place for him at the club after all.
He said: “There’s going to have to be three players left out. Dwight Gayle would have been the really obvious one, but he can’t leave him out, really, not with the position that you find with strikers.”
TIF Thoughts on Liam Kennedy’s comments about Dwight Gayle at Newcastle United…
Is Dwight Gayle good enough to play for Newcastle in the PL?
Yes
No
The position that Newcastle find themselves in that Kennedy hints at is that they aren’t exactly blessed with options when it comes to the squad, with just three forwards available to them – and Callum Wilson not set to be back for some time following his injury back in January.
As a result, Gayle is probably going to find that he is the emergency backup option for the club between now and the end of the season. You just have to hope that they don’t have to use him, because his production at Premier League level is not great, with just 26 goals in 142 games and his best return in a season being seven back in 2013/14.
So if Newcastle have to rely on him for a stretch of time, say as a result of another injury to Wilson or a suspension for Chris Wood, then it’s far from certain that he’ll be able to provide anything to help them in their battle against the drop.
In other news: ‘Won’t make Newcastle’s 25-man PL squad’ – Reporter drops player claim ‘not ideal’ for the club
play Maxi in the middle if there short up front