According to a report by the Daily Mail, Stoke City are ready to shell out £10m to sign Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle. The Potters have quite a challenge ahead of them as they need to find a way to earn promotion back to the Premier League next season.
Stoke got relegated to the Championship after enduring a lacklustre season last term. However, with new manager Gary Rowett in charge, the Potters seem to be heading in the right direction.
The former Derby County boss has already completed a loan deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Benik Afobe. And now, Daily Mail claims that Rowett is eager to sign Gayle as well.
One might argue that the player endured a miserable season with the Magpies in the recently concluded campaign. He managed to score just 6 goals and provide 3 assists in 35 Premier League outings last term – and these numbers certainly do not look good.
However, it must be noted that Gayle was a force to reckon with in the Championship. Rafa Benitez’s men secured promotion to the top-flight at the end of the 2016/17 season, and during their time in the Championship, Gayle seemed like a completely different player.
Gayle scored 23 goals in 32 Championship games in the 2016/17 campaign, and it was truly surprising to see him struggle in the Premier League last term. Hence, it might be best for the player to join Stoke and return to the Championship.
Given the magnitude of the task ahead for Rowett and his men, they must welcome a player such as Gayle. His exploits in the Premier League are far from satisfactory but when it comes to the Championship, he is nothing short of a veteran.
At 27 years of age, he is incredibly skilled and has a good amount of experience under his belt as well. With a manager as dynamic as Rowett to guide him, Gayle might just revive his career at Stoke next season.
Now, it remains to be seen if Newcastle are willing to let him leave in the first place. He might not have made a strong impact for the club last season but there were certain instances where he proved to be rather resourceful.
However, if Stoke can convince Newcastle to sanction a sale, they must do everything they can to sign him. Spending a fee in the region of £10m to sign a player of Gayle’s calibre is nothing short of a coup.
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