Noel Whelan has urged Newcastle United to sort out a new contract for Dwight Gayle following his impact off the bench on his return to action last weekend.
The 30-year-old has endured an injury-hit start to the season, but he was back in action for the Magpies in the Premier League for the first time in 2020/21 against West Brom on Saturday. Gayle made the perfect impression as he powered home an excellent header from Jacob Murphy’s dangerous delivery to secure all three points for Steve Bruce’s side.
Gayle sees his current £40,000-a-week deal conclude at the end of the season, and he has been linked with a potential move away from the Magpies in the January transfer window. However, it has previously been reported that Bruce is keen to tie him down to a new deal to prevent him from leaving the club on a free transfer, per Football Insider.
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan urged the Magpies to sort out a new deal for Gayle, with the ex-Leeds striker claiming it would be wrong not to give him a new contract to avoid losing him for nothing in the summer. The 45-year-old said:
Gayle deserves a new contract and I think he will get one because he is a natural goalscorer. That is what you get with him.
He nearly got a goal before he scored that amazing header and it was amazing – there is no doubt about that. A fantastic cross but he still had lots to do. He was unsighted but the contact was perfect.
The fact that he has been out for a long time, he looked really sharp at the weekend. He was getting on the ball, holding it up and you do not get too many goalscorers like Dwight Gayle.
What a weapon to have on the bench right now. There is no harm in offering him an extra year of year and a half on a contract to keep him at the club.
Give him that opportunity because he has been injured. It would be wrong not to give him the opportunity to showcase what he can do in the Premier League.
Red Newcastle verdict
Gayle’s impact from the bench against West Brom highlighted exactly what the Magpies had been missing so far this season. Bruce had been limited with his options from the bench to change matches and bring someone on who could make a difference in the closing exchanges. The 30-year-old showed that he could excel in such a role throughout the rest of the season.
The ex-Crystal Palace marksman has now averaged a goal every 98.2 minutes in the Premier League since the end of the springtime lockdown period. That strike rate puts him up there with Wilson’s haul this term, and to have two forwards in such good form is a massive plus for any side in the Premier League, especially one who has been finding chances hard to come by.
Whelan is right to suggest that it would be a mistake for Newcastle to allow Gayle to leave the club on a free transfer. You could imagine other teams being interested in January, so time is of the essence to try and sort out a fresh agreement with him if they possibly can.
