Former Premier League striker Noel Whelan has said that Championship giants Leeds United should target a move for Newcastle United frontman Dwight Gayle this summer.
Marcelo Bielsa’s team missed out on a trip to the play off final this week, as did Gayle’s loan side West Bromwich Albion. However, BBC pundit Whelan believes the Whites can go one better next term if they recruit the Magpies attacker.
“You need a prolific goalscorer to get promotion and that is what Leeds are crying out for,” he told Football Insider. “Look at all the missed chances this season, the brilliant approach play that was ruined by powderpuff finishing.
“Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford are both good strikers but they’re not going to get you 25 a season, like [Teemu] Pukki did for Norwich and Billy Sharp did at Sheffield United. The perfect signing would be Dwight Gayle. He’s a prolific scorer and proven in the Championship. Leeds can win promotion if they get him.”
OPINION
A lot of what Whelan says makes sense, here. Leeds did miss a lot of chances this season. It didn’t matter much of the time because they created so many that they would inevitably put one in the back of the net. However, you do wonder what they would have achieved if they had someone like Pukki or Sharp, who banged them in for the two teams who beat the Whites to automatic promotion. Gayle could be that man for them. As Whelan says, he is a proven Championship scorer over a number of years and with a few different clubs. He was terrific with West Brom this season and there’s nothing to suggest he wouldn’t be again in the Championship next time round. However, is this really a realistic deal? The Baggies will obviously want to sign the 28-year-old permanently, while he may yet again be used by Newcastle to secure a Salomon Rondon deal. From a Newcastle perspective, it probably doesn’t make sense to allow him to move to Elland Road.
