Dwight Gayle from Newcastle to Stoke City: Is it a good potential move? Would he start? What does he offer?

Stoke City will be aiming to make an encouraging start to the 2022/23 campaign in the Championship under the guidance of manager Michael O’Neill.

Having already bolstered their squad by securing the services of Josh Laurent, Aden Flint, Liam McCarron, Gavin Kilkenny and Harry Clarke, the Potters are now closing in on a deal for Newcastle United forward Dwight Gayle.

According to Football Insider, Gayle has now completed a medical and is set to complete a move to the bet365 Stadium this week.

It is understood that the forward has agreed a two-year deal with the Potters which will keep him at the club until 2024.

Here, we have decided to take a look at whether this is a good move for Stoke, assess Gayle’s chances of starting for the club in their upcoming Championship fixtures and take a look at what he will offer in terms of his style of play…

Is it a good potential move?

Barring a late twist, Stoke will complete the signing of Gayle ahead of the new term.

This could turn out to be a very clever bit of business by the Potters as they are not set to pay a transfer fee for the forward.

Whereas Gayle has struggled for consistency in the Premier League during his career, he has an excellent track-record when it comes to delivering the goods in the Championship.

Having provided 76 direct goal contributions in 101 appearances at this level, Gayle will fancy his chances of helping Stoke reach new heights next season.

Would he start?

Providing that O’Neill decides to deploy a two-striker formation in the upcoming campaign, Gayle is likely to start alongside Jacob Brown.

Brown ended the previous term as Stoke’s top-scorer as he managed to find the back of the net on 14 occasions in all competitions.

If Gayle develops an