OPINION
Darren Gough gushed about Newcastle United attacker Dwight Gayle and suggested that he was a player who could have a positive impact on Steve Bruce’s side.
The 28-year-old forward hasn’t featured for the Magpies this season due to an injury, and Gough clearly believes the Englishman could help solve the club’s problems in front of goal.
Newcastle have only managed four goals in their opening seven league games and as a result, have struggled to get results so find themselves 19th in the Premier League.
Gough was told that Gayle was now in contention to feature for the Magpies once again as he had returned to training, as per the Chronicle, and it’s fair to say he proceeded to overrate the forward by backing him to be something different and get goals for Bruce’s side.
“He’s something different, he could score goals!” gushed Gough on talkSPORT (18:47, Friday, October 4th).
It’s great news for Gayle to be fit again as having another option isn’t a bad thing, but surely no one is truly expecting him to make a notable impact on the Magpies’ fortunes?
The 28-year-old has consistently struggled for goals when featuring in the Premier League as he has only managed to grab 21 goals in 99 outings which means he has only averaged a lowly 0.22 goals per game. (Source: Premier League)
Also, it’s worth noting that only 36% of his shots in the Premier League have hit the target and that’s not exactly a stat that makes you convinced his goal tally in the division can get ridiculously better.
Rafa Benitez greenlit Gayle’s loan move to Championship side West Bromwich Albion last season, where he was a clinical force as he got 24 goals in 41 outings, and you feel he wouldn’t have done that if he thought the 28-year-old could be a reliable goal source in the top-flight.
And given that the experienced Spanish manager rarely guided the Magpies wrong, it’s hard to see Gayle having an impact in the Premier League this season even if you argue he potentially has a manager who believes in him more.
So with that in mind, Gough is surely overrating Gayle by having such a high opinion about the impact he could have on Newcastle’s fortunes now he is fit again, as his track record shows that he just isn’t a prolific goalscorer in England’s top-flight.