Derby County are among the teams showing an early interest in a striker, following his release yesterday.
It was a fairly underwhelming winter transfer window for Derby County.
The Rams pulled off the impressive signing of Corey Blackett-Taylor from Charlton Athletic and managed to bring in Ebou Adams on loan from Cardiff City on deadline day.
But Paul Warne‘s side missed out on a striker signing.
The Rams wanted Michael Smith from Sheffield Wednesday but when that move got nowhere, Derby turned their attentions to his teammate; former County forward Lee Gregory.
But Sheffield Wednesday played hardball over a deal for Gregory who remains at the club, where he looks set to play very little football ahead of his contract expiry this summer.
Warne and Derby County though are now showing an interest in Dwight Gayle following his Stoke City release yesterday.
Fabrizio Romano reveals Derby County interest in Dwight Gayle
The 34-year-old Gayle reached an agreement with Stoke City yesterday, wherein his contract was terminated, meaning that he’s now a free agent.
The former Newcastle United man joined the Potters ahead of last season and went on to score three and assist five more in 35 Championship outings, with no goal contributions in 10 league appearances this time round.
In his career, Gayle has 106 goals in 338 total appearances, across spells with the likes of Newcastle, West Brom, and most recently Stoke City.
Now a free agent, Romano says that Derby County are rivalling fellow League One sides Charlton Athletic and Barnsley for his signature, with interest from Wednesday and Ipswich Town as well.
A potentially huge signing in the race for promotion
Interest from Ipswich Town should tell us everything we need to know about Gayle.
Despite his age and his tough spell at Stoke City, he’s a player who has consistently scored goals throughout his career.
He’s provided in the Premier League and especially in the Championship, with 62 goals in 145 second tier appearances, and so for a League One club he could be a very shrewd signing.
And after his tough spell with Stoke, Gayle may well feel that dropping down to League One could see him rediscover his scoring touch, and of the three League One teams linked, Derby may well be the most attractive option given their strong league position.
Game time could be readily-available with Warne still relying on James Collins; he’s provided the goods with 13 goals this season, but he could quickly run out of steam ahead of a congested second half of the season.
So bringing in any kind of striker remains a priority after deadline day, and the stars seem to have aligned where Gayle is concerned; this could be a huge signing for the Rams.