So, that's all folks. Dwight Gayle's Newcastle United career ends not with a bang but with a whimper. Just the nine substitute appearances under both Steve Bruce and Eddie Howe last season sees the 32-year-old striker depart without the farewell he deserves on Tyneside.
Stoke City are the lucky second-tier club who appear to have won the fierce race for the Magpies star, with the player in Staffordshire for a medical earlier this week. Championship clubs were queuing up, like every other transfer window in recent memory, to try and secure his signature.
And why not? After all he has done nothing but score goals in that division. 59 goals in 100 appearances makes him the 44th highest scorer in Championship history and an obvious target for clubs seeking firepower in their bid for promotion.
