West Bromwich Albion were ultimately lacking enough firepower in their squad to give them a good chance of securing promotion back to the Premier League in 2022.
In their recent Championship campaign, the Baggies ended up scoring just 52 times, fewer than a significant number of teams who finished below them in the table.
Would you take Dwight Gayle at West Brom this summer?
To try and fix their attacking issues, Albion secured the signing of Daryl Dike during the January transfer window. However, after just two appearances for the Midlands club, the former Barnsley and Orlando City striker unfortunately suffered a hamstring injury which prematurely ended his season.
This led to West Brom securing a deal for Andy Carroll to see out the season and help them finish as strongly as possible. After the club chose to quickly get rid of the 33-year-old target man, the focus can now turn their attention to finding another attacking option who could come in and give the Baggies some extra strength and depth in that area.
One man who has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns in recent months who could fit this bill and potentially form a deadly attacking duo with Dike next season is Dwight Gayle.
Imagine Gayle and Dike for WBA
With 286 senior club appearances under his belt, the Newcastle United striker has scored 103 goals and delivered 30 assists along the way, showing that he certainly has plenty of experience in finding the net.
This sort of experience could not only be useful for the West Brom team as a whole but also for Dike, who is in the early stages of his career with the Baggies, helping him to strike up what could be a formidable attacking partnership.
Speaking about the Magpies striker in the past, Bruce said: “I’ve said on record that I’ve tried to buy him three times. If you’re looking in the Championship, the first one on your list was always Dwight Gayle because of his natural finishing.
“I’ve said all along that I want him to stay fit because as you saw with the way he scored his goal today, he’s got that crucial thing of being able to score. He’s got the knack, and when you’ve got that, it’s invaluable.”
Having only played nine games across all competitions for Eddie Howe’s side this season, it seems as though Gayle could be more valuable for West Brom rather than wasting his time at St James’ Park, which could make a move to The Hawthorns this summer rather appealing for him.
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