Former England striker Kevin Phillips has suggested that he would leave Newcastle to seek regular game-time if he were in Dwight Gayle‘s current position.
Gayle is facing a real dilemma over his St James’ Park future, with his current £40,000-a-week deal concluding at the end of the season. However, Newcastle are keen to keep hold of the player and are hoping that they can get him to agree to fresh terms, so that they avoid running the risk of losing him on a free transfer in the summer, per Football Insider.
The 30-year-old has endured an injury-hit start to the season but he has now returned to action and been used as an impact substitute during the last few matches. Gayle showed his astute finishing qualities with an excellent header to secure all three points during Newcastle’s recent 2-1 win against West Brom at St James’ Park.
Phillips was keen to point out that Gayle would be likely to extend his stay if the club were to offer him a fresh deal on improved terms. However, he also admitted that, if he were in the 30-year-old’s shoes, he would be looking to secure a move away to get more regular starts – Gayle’s three league appearances this term have all been from the bench.
The 47-year-old told Football Insider:
It is a very tough one for Dwight Gayle. If he signs a new deal he knows he will be getting a massive increase in wages and he also seems quite comfortable there. He has lived in the north-east for a while.
If I was in Dwight’s shoes though and I was not playing regularly, I would want to get out and play. I would want to play week in, week out.
In my opinion, he will sign a new deal at Newcastle but I would rather see him go and play regularly somewhere. He has a lot to offer and we saw that with his header against West Brom.
Read Newcastle verdict
Gayle is facing a major decision which will potentially shape the last few years of his career, with the 30-year-old probably in the situation where he will get the last major deal of his career sorted out. That could make a new and improved deal with Newcastle hard to turn down, as Phillips has suggested.
However, Gayle still has plenty of quality to offer and he would likely be hoping to be more of a starter than merely an impact player to bring off the bench. It looks unlikely that he would get the chance to start regularly, given that Steve Bruce has the prolific Callum Wilson to call upon, and therefore he might well consider an exit from St James’ Park.
From Newcastle’s perspective, they are in a position where they need to keep hold of Gayle, given the lack of funds available to sign a replacement. That provides the 30-year-old with the upper hand in negotiations over a new contract and means he could be offered strong terms for him to commit his future to the club.
