Though his Newcastle United as a whole are struggling to deal with the pressure of being clear favourites in the Championship, Dwight Gayle got off the mark in the loss to Huddersfield.
The former Crystal Palace man has joined Rafa Benitez’s Tyneside revolution for around £10m, tasked as the man to fire the Toon Army back up into the Premier League.
Handed the iconic Number 9 shirt by the former Liverpool coach, the 25-year old has big shoes to fill at his new club, though few would doubt his poaching ability.
While he was unable to impose himself regularly enough at Selhurst Park, a fresh move away and some tactical improvement can really bring the best out of the former Peterborough ace.
Dropping down into the second tier, it is the perfect atmosphere in which to further develop his game, on one of the grandest stages he could do so.
With that in mind, here are THREE reasons why Dwight Gayle will finish top scorer in the Championship this year.
The Supporting Cast
Clearly, life in the second tier hasn’t got off to the best of starts on Tyneside.
Still, the club boast a number of assist kings to help the 25-year old to chances a aplenty, where he can demonstrate his lethal knack of finishing chances.
With the likes of Matt Ritchie, Jonjo Shelvey, Ayoze Perez and Mo Diame behind him, Gayle has a number of teammates who can offer him chances on a plate.
Experience
Though the former non-league sensation has never played in the Championship prior to this season, he does boast the rather invaluable experience of playing in the lower leagues.
The change in tempo and physicality will be of little surprise to him, able to mix it up in the treacherous waters of the Championship.
Foil
Though Benitez has largely opted for just one man up front in his opening two fixtures, the notion of partnering Gayle and Serbian bad boy Aleksandar Mitrovic is a mouth watering one.
Together, the two could create a truly devastating partnership, supported by the likes of Matt Ritchie and Jonjo Shelvey.
Together, they could prove extremely formidable.
