Are Norwich City About To Raid Palace For Their 18-Goal Striker?
According to The Mirror, Norwich City are the latest club to declare an interest in Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle as the new Premier League season rapidly approaches.
The 25-year-old has scored 18 goals in 55 appearances since joining the Eagles in the summer of 2013, but has been unable to maintain a regular starting place under any of the four managers he’s worked under so far, with Glenn Murray having been preferred to him at the back end of the last campaign by Alan Pardew.
Although no club have made an official bid for him as of yet, Gayle has supposedly been on the radar of Bournemouth and Wolves for a number of months, with the Canaries now getting in on the act a few weeks later, with the potential for a place in their starting XI potentially on offer to the former Peterborough man.
Despite the fact that Gayle has never been able to secure a consistent run of games at Selhurst Park, few would deny that when presented with a sight of goal, he is the most clinical finisher at the club by some distance, possessing the goalscoring instincts many attributed to Ian Wright when he first burst onto the scene in SE25 in the same side as our now manager Alan Pardew.
Unfortunately for Dwight, his game doesn’t appear to be well suited to occupying the role of a lone striker, with his inability to impose himself physically on the towering centre-backs throughout the division proving to be a hinderance to his chances of success.
When played the ball to feet, he can be lethal, as he has shown on more than one occasion, but if Pardew doesn’t feel that we will be playing in a manner which will allow him to flourish over the next nine months, he may well sanction his departure before going in search of a frontman with a bigger frame.
There will be plenty, myself included who would be absolutely gutted to see Gayle leave, but depending on the tactical approach we will be looking to employ over the next few years under Pardew, Gayle’s continued presence in the first-team could well be viewed as a square peg in a round hole.
Only time will tell.
Hopkin Looking To Curl One... 
Agree totally. As one of a number of Palace fans up here in East Anglia, it would be a pleasure to see him in a NCFC shirt (Norwich is most of us Palace fans second team), but I agree with your comments. I would be gutted to see him go. Desperately under-rated.
Can’t see the point of buying remy then as he isn’t exactly going to impose himself on defenders. That only leaves Austin really. Gayle should really be given a chance but I’d happily let Campbell go to free up space along with all the fringe players mentioned in the Austin swap deal. Is shola still at palace absolutely absurd if he is. Bring on a centre back ASAP & forward please Alan
Cabaye’s passing acumen and his ability to open up a defence with a perfect pass has been highlighted already as one of the reasons we have paid a record transfer fee and brought him to the club. Who better than Dwight Gayle to make those runs and get on the end of that pass to make those opportunities count ? He gives us a different attacking dimension we’ll need in certain games this season, especially at home where more teams will be looking to go away with a point from Selhurst.
I would love to see Gayle given a chance with Puncheon and Cabaye behind him, Stephen.
Gayle much more of an Augero than a Costa… Requires intelligent, well timed through balls rather than crossing from deep. Expect Palace to be playing a more passing game this year and Cabaye and Punch to have key roles in unpicking defences as well as utilising our counter-attacking threat on the wings. Have a feeling that Gayle could flourish this year but he will require confidence from Pards and a commitment to start 10 games in a row before he begins to fulfil potential. Pard’s brought Ayoze and played Cisse and Remy, none of which are big target men… Austin or Adebayor would suit a sit-deep and spring ’em on the break system but I’m not sure either offers a lot more than Murrey (slightly biased perhaps!).
Very well reasoned points there, Dan.