With Dwight Gayle reportedly set for a move back to The Championship and now is the time that Newcastle United start looking for players who can possibly replace the striker. The 26-year-old had a superb season last time out as he scored 23 goals in 34 league appearances as he finished top scorer in The Championship and helped his side claim the title.
Newcastle do have other options in the final third such as Ayoze Perez, Joselu and Aleksandar Mitrovic, but they will still need to fill the void that will be left by Gayle’s departure. The forward has bundles of pace and energy and also is a lethal finisher in front of goal. However, despite having such amazing abilities, he has not been given enough chance to impress at St James’ Park in the top flight.
We take a look at five possible replacements.
3Michy Batshuayi
A move for Chelsea’s 23-year-old striker would be a very ambitious one, but it may be worth asking the question. Batshuayi has done well at Stamford Bridge considering the limited opportunities he has been given to impress by Antonio Conte. He scored five goals in 20 league appearances last season and will be looking to build on that in this campaign.
He joined the Blues from Ligue 1 side Marseille last summer for a fee of around £33 million but has always found himself being used as a backup. He had to deal with being the second choice to Diego Costa last season and now finds himself behind Morata. This must be frustrating for the youngster, and it may cause him to look for a move away either on loan or permanently. Newcastle would not be able to afford a permanent deal so a loan move would be the most likely option if Benitez was to pursue any potential deal.
