West Brom should resist move for former favourite despite Newcastle update: Opinion | OneFootball

Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle is reportedly free to leave St James’ Park this summer if he can find another club but West Bromwich Albion should resist the temptation to move for the former Baggies favourite despite his past success in the Championship.

Work needs to be done to strengthen the Albion squad ahead of the 2022/23 campaign after they fell far short of promotion this term and it would be no surprise to see a few tweaks to the forward line – with Karlan Grant the only player to reach double figures of goals this term.

Gayle has flourished at The Hawthorns before, with his 24 goals and eight assists in the 2018/19 campaign making him a firm fan favourite at the West Midlands club, and has been regularly linked with a move back in window since.

The Telegraph has now reported that the 32-year-old is among the fringe players that Newcastle are happy to listen to offers to and that can leave if a new club can be found.

That would seem to open the door for Albion to bring back the former favourite but it’s a move that Steve Bruce and co. should avoid.

Gayle is not the player he was four years ago and is set to turn 33 in October. He has played just 106 minutes of senior football this season and has scored just once since the start of the 2020/21 campaign despite featuring 20 times for the Magpies last term.

He is under contract at St James’ Park until 2024 and though a cut-price deal could likely be agreed with Newcastle, the striker is unlikely to want to take a pay cut.

Quiz: Which club did West Brom sign these 24 players from in the 2000s?

1 of 24

Graham Dorrans

Kilmarnock Livingston Motherwell Ross County

According to Capology, Gayle is currently on £40,000-per-week, which would make him the second-highest earner in the Albion squad.

With January signing Daryl Dike likely to be fully fit and raring to go for the start of the 2022/23 campaign, it seems an unnecessary risk to spend that sort of money on a 32-year-old forward that has barely played recently based on what he’s achieved in the past.