Newcastle United struck transfer gold after Crystal Palace deal - He turned into a 23-goal monster | OneFootball

Dwight Gayle fired Newcastle United to the Championship title after signing from Crystal Palace in 2016

Newcastle United are better known for their Premier League exploits, and landed a Champions League spot at the end of a majorly successful 2022/23 season.

The Magpies also reached the 2023 EFL Cup final, after successfully navigating the challenge of a two-legged semi-final tie with fellow top-flight outfit Southampton.

Ultimately though, the North East outfit were unsuccessful in their quest for silverware at Wembley, as they lost 2-0 to Manchester United, courtesy of goals from former Real Madrid star Casemiro and England international Marcus Rashford.

In fact, both of Newcastle's most recent trophies were the Championship titles they won in 2010 and 2017 respectively.

The 2016/17 campaign is one which will live long in the memories of second tier fanatics, as both the Magpies and second-place Brighton exceeded the 90-point mark in order to achieve automatic promotion, while Huddersfield Town won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs to complete a feel-good underdog story.

Meanwhile, the St James' Park faithful will always be thankful for the efforts of former Magpies striker Dwight Gayle, whose goalscoring efforts fired them back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

Newcastle United struck gold when they signed Gayle from Crystal Palace

Newcastle supporters were left with a feeling of bitter disappointment when they suffered relegation from the Premier League in 2016, when the club were still under the controversial ownership of Mike Ashley.

When the Magpies hired former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss Rafael Benitez, it was undoubtedly a major coup for a side who were merely trying to retain their top-flight status.

However, Benitez's tenure in the North East got off to the worst possible start, as the St James' Park side finished 18th in the Premier League, and were relegated alongside Norwich City and Aston Villa.

Perhaps the toughest pill for the Magpies faithful to swallow though, was the fact that local rivals Sunderland had managed to survive the drop, finishing 17th, at their neighbours' expense.

Following the disappointment of relegation, Newcastle were eager to enjoy a successful 2016/17 Championship campaign, and secure promotion back to the Premier League at the earliest opportunity.

That's exactly what they managed to do, although it would not have been possible without the signing of Gayle, who joined the club from Crystal Palace during the summer of 2016.

During his final Premier League season with the Eagles, Gayle notched just three goals in 16 top-flight outings, but that would not discourage the Magpies from acquiring his signature.

The striker had previously displayed his lethal eye for goal at Championship level, when he scored 13 goals in 29 league appearances for Peterborough United during the 2012/13 campaign.

And the Magpies were not left disappointed by his services in the second tier either, as he notched an incredible return of 23 goals and two assists in 32 outings.

During the 2016/17 Championship season, Gayle's clinical instincts proved too much for opponents to deal with, as he wreaked havoc on a weekly basis to fire Benitez's Newcastle all the way to the title.

Gayle could not replicate his 2016/17 form in the Premier League

After the former Palace man spearheaded the Magpies back to the Premier League, the North East outfit comfortably staved off the threat of relegation back to the second tier, as they finished 10th in the top-flight.

However, Gayle could not establish his clinical edge in the top tier, as he scored just six league goals during the 2017/18 campaign, and was subsequently deployed on loan to West Bromwich Albion.

He was once again a top drawer striker in the Championship during his West Brom days, and went on to notch 24 goals in 41 outings for the Baggies.

However, the Englishman would subsequently struggle in front of goal for the Magpies over the course of the next three Premier League seasons, before joining Stoke City.

But while Gayle was not a success in the Premier League, the Magpies should always look back on their move to acquire the forward's services with pride, as he fired them to a Championship title.