Born on the 17th of October 1989, Dwight Gayle is a 35 year old forward who currently plies his trade as a striker for Scottish Premiership side, Hibernian. Standing at 5 feet 8 inches (1.74m) in height and weighing in at 12st 3lb (78kg), Gayle dons the number 34 jersey for his team. According to Transfermarkt, his current market value comes in in the vicinity of £86k, with his Hibernian contract running out in three months time, on the 31st of May 2025.
Gayle's journey in professional football commenced with Dagenham & Redbridge in England's National League, before his performances earned him a loan switch to Peterborough United, also in England, in November 2012. He managed to find the net seven times in 18 appearances in his debut season at Dagenham & Redbridge, and 13 times in 29 games for Peterborough, prompting the latter to sign him permanently for around £750k in January 2013.
Following his successful stint at Peterborough, Gayle moved to Premier League outfit Crystal Palace for roughly £6m in July 2013. Despite not being a prolific scorer, Gayle managed to hit the back of the net 7, 5 and 3 times over his three seasons in 23, 25 and 16 league appearances respectively. In 2016, Newcastle United spent close to £10m to acquire his services where his metronomic scoring ability was further accentuated with 23 goals in his first season across 32 matches, six in 35 appearances in his second and four in 20 games amongst others.
A loan spell with Championship side West Bromwich Albion was next on the cards for Gayle. Here he replicated his form from his early days at Newcastle, finding the net 23 times in just 39 appearances. Upon his return to Newcastle, his form didn't dip much with a decent return in terms of goals. A subsequent move to Stoke City ensued in July 2022 followed by a switch to Derby County, both in the Championship, and ultimately to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership in September 2024. Amongst these transitions, Gayle's form in terms of scoring remained fairly stable, with his goal tally reaching three in 35 games at Stoke City, followed by a strong start with four goals in 20 appearances for Hibs.
Gayle also featured in the Scottish Cup during the 2024 - 2025 season for Hibernian, making a substitution appearance. Overall, Gayle's journey through the tiers of English football and now to Scottish football bear testimony to his footballing acumen as a dependable striker.
