OPINION
When Newcastle United loaned out striker Dwight Gayle to West Brom to help acquire the services of their forward Salomon Rondon, nobody could have anticipated the impact he would make.
After all, his spell at Newcastle had hardly resulted in a bagful of goals, so there was no reason for Rafa Benitez to worry about him taking the Championship by storm.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, Gayle has achieved just that, with nine goals to his name so far.
However, it is his recent remarks about his future that will really get Benitez sweating, with the red-hot ace admitting that staying with the Baggies beyond his current loan stint has been in his mind.
“Yeah of course it’s crossed my mind,” Gayle said, as quoted by the Express and Star.
“It’s something that will be on the cards but I suppose I’ve just got to get this season out of the way and let others get on with what they’ve got to do and we’ll see how things go.
“I’m very happy playing my football here and I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Anything could happen at the end of the season, we’ve just got to wait and see.”
Given the form that Gayle is in at the moment, there is no doubt a part of Benitez that wants him back as soon as possible – so these comments will come as a huge blow to him.
Playing Championship football is just what Gayle needed to start scoring on a regular basis again, but Newcastle simply cannot allow the 28-year-old to join West Brom permanently.
Benitez would be green with envy, especially if Darren Moore’s side manage to achieve promotion to the Premier League – so the manager needs to pull out all of the stops to convince Gayle to return to St James’ Park.
Things would no doubt be different this time around now that he has been scoring goals, and fans would surely welcome him with open arms.
Nevertheless, his remarks would have got Benitez sweating – and he must do all he can to change Gayle’s mind.
