When Darren Moore promised West Brom a "proven goalscorer" he was not wrong | OneFootball

Dwight Gayle excelled during his season-long loan at The Hawthorns

The summer of 2018 saw West Bromwich Albion prepare for their first Championship campaign in eight years under the management of Darren Moore.

Having become Premier League mainstays, the Baggies were immediately named among the front-runners for promotion in a competitive second tier which included the likes of local rivals Aston Villa, Leeds United and Derby County, as well as fellow relegated side and big-spenders, Stoke City.

As was expected, many high-profile and experienced names left The Hawthorns during the off-season, which included Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon, who joined the likes of Ben Foster, Jonny Evans and Nacer Chadli on the long list of departures.

However, Rondon's departure was also a massive benefit to Moore during his first pre-season after being given the vacancy in B71 full-time, and the former centre-back's verdict of his replacement would be spot-on, regardless of his and Albion's eventual misfortune as the season played out.

Darren Moore's Dwight Gayle verdict after Newcastle United loan agreement was reached

Rondon's temporary switch to St James' Park saw Dwight Gayle move to the West Midlands, with the then-27-year-old already a renowned goal-getter at second-tier level with the Magpies and at Peterborough United.

Gayle was the main man in Rafael Benitez's side's title-winning season just two campaigns previous, scoring 23 goals in 32 appearances before scoring six goals as the Magpies consolidated back in the top-flight.

Unsurprisingly, such a record was the key factor behind Moore's pursuit of the London-born man, as he outlined during his verdict of the swap deal.

"This deal was in the best interests of both clubs," he said.

"Dwight is a proven goalscorer in the Championship - he's quick and sharp off the back of defenders and I believe he will add to our goal threat."

Dwight Gayle excelled during West Bromwich Albion loan stint despite dismal play-off end

Gayle was one of a plethora of signings who brought high-end Championship quality and experience to this part of the West Midlands, and gave immediate validation as to why his services had been secured to bolster an attack which already featured the likes of Jay Rodriguez and future England international, Harvey Barnes.

He got the ball rolling in terms of goals during a 7-1 rout against QPR in B71 in August 2018, and by the time his 10th appearance in blue and white had rolled around, the frontman had already accumulated 11 goal contributions.

The versatile attacker also netted two hat-tricks during his loan stint, with the first of them coming in a 4-0 away success at Rotherham United, with Albion heading into the Christmas period well and truly in the conversation for automatic promotion alongside Leeds and Norwich City.

After netting three goals in four games at the turn of the year, Gayle then endured a six-game goal drought which coincided with a drop-off in form and Moore's shock dismissal after a 1-1 draw against rock-bottom Ipswich Town as the Baggies found themselves nine points adrift of second-place.

He would get back to his individual best during the regular season's final weeks with a run of seven goals in five games, including his second hat-trick of the season against Preston North End, as well as an instrumental performance in a 3-2 victory over Hull City as Albion headed into the play-offs to take on Villa.

However, the final of the loanee's 41 appearances would be an extremely mixed afternoon, initially pouncing on a Jed Steer mistake to give Jimmy Shan's side a priceless first-leg lead at Villa Park, before being dismissed two minutes from time after colliding with the goalkeeper following a turnaround on the day courtesy of Conor Hourihane and Tammy Abraham.

Unavailable for the second leg, Gayle could only watch on in frustration as the B6 club emerged victorious on penalties, progressing to the play-off final where they would defeat Derby County.

After two further years with Newcastle, the striker did make a brief return to the Championship with Stoke. But, he was unable to replicate the form which Baggies fans had seen during a nine-month loan spell, which proved to be the last evidence many would see of Moore's aforementioned verdict.