OPINION
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is surely seeing pound signs after Stoke City manager Nathan Jones claimed that Dwight Gayle would be a real marquee signing for a Championship club.
Jones spoke about the Magpies player briefly on Monday due to Gayle being a transfer target for Stoke, as reported by the Stoke Sentinel, and raved about how good he was.
“Only that he is a fantastic footballer and he is a Newcastle United player,” said Jones, as transcribed by the Stoke Sentinel, in an interview on BBC Radio Stoke, which can be heard again on the broadcaster’s website.
“We have some good strikers at the club. Dwight is a fantastic one and he is a real marquee signing at this level.
“That is all I can say on it really.
“He is a Newcastle player.
“He is someone we like because he is a very talented individual and when he plays at this level he usually scores goals. But anything else would be wrong of me to mention.”
The Sun previously reported that Gayle was rated as being worth £15million by the Magpies, but as of yet, it seems no club has made an official move to meet the attacker’s price tag.
The Chronicle’s Live Blog (July 25th, 12:19) claimed that Stoke City haven’t made a move as they need to sell a senior player to raise funds to afford Gayle, and the regional outlet stated that Gayle’s wage demands could cause the Potters bother.
Yet given that Jones believes Gayle would be a marquee signing for a club in England’s second-tier, surely that means there is a Championship side who will come in for the 28-year-old and pay at least £15million for him.
After all, marquee signings shouldn’t come cheap at any level.
Gayle finished as Championship side West Bromwich Albion’s top scorer last season, while on loan with them, as he scored 24 goals and impressively averaged a goal every 122 minutes. (Source: BBC Sport)
The 28-year-old proved he was worth his weight in gold in the Championship as he fired the Baggies into the play-offs, and he previously wowed in England’s second-tier when he got 23 goals in 32 outings for the Magpies in the 2016/17 season and when he racked up 13 goals in 29 league outings for Peterborough in the 2012/13 campaign.
This proves that Jones’ claim about Gayle being a marquee signing for a Championship side is justified, and given his goals would be a boost to any side’s promotion chances, it shows how Ashley can play hardball over selling him if anyone comes calling.
