Newcastle United have seen a lot of departures in recent years.
While remnants of the previous Newcastle hierarchy remain there are many players who have been moved on since Eddie Howe arrived in 2021.
Isaac Hayden remains in the under-21s as he runs his contract down but players like Jeff Hendrick and Ryan Fraser were either released or sold. Hendrick is still without a club since leaving Newcastle in the summer despite playing consistent football on loan in the Championship.
Selling players is a big requirement for Howe and new sporting director Paul Mitchell who will want to put a drab summer transfer window behind him.
Newcastle’s attempts to sign Marc Guehi were well-documented but forgiveness could come if player sales were made to fund new signings.
Recently, a former Newcastle star who was sold in 2022 has made a huge announcement regarding his career.
Newcastle player Dwight Gayle in action during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Leicester City at St. James Park on April 17, ...
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Former Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle eyeing retirement at the end of the season
When Newcastle signed Dwight Gayle it was a statement that the club were going to get out of the Championship at the first time of asking.
They did just that with Rafa Benitez at the helm. Gayle would make on-and-off appearances for Newcastle under both Benitez and Steve Bruce in the Premier League but would only feature five times under Howe in very short substitute appearances.
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After scoring 34 goals for the club, Gayle left Newcastle in the summer of 2022 moving to Championship side Stoke City. Things didn’t go well for him as he only scored three goals in 45 Championship appearances across two seasons.
Gayle would go on trial for now League One side Stockport County before completing a move to Derby helping them gain promotion to the Championship thanks to his three goals in six games.
The striker left in the summer for a move to Hibernian on a one-year deal and has had four goal involvements in nine games. Gayle has now announced his intentions to hang up his boots at the end of the season.
In an interview with The Herald, Gayle was asked about his playing future.
“Yes, I’ve started to express my feelings,” he said.
“My body’s starting to break down a bit and it’s likely that I might pack it in to be fair.
“It’s just a whole heap of things really, you’re not able to generate the same speed and power as other people. From game to game, it’s hard to recover as quickly as before.
“I’d love to play it continuously forever, but with injuries and stuff like that, your body starts to pick up stuff that you probably need to think about.”
Loris Karius and Jeff Hendrick are still without clubs after their release from Newcastle United
Two other players who left Newcastle during Howe’s reign are Loris Karius and Hendrick with the pair both included in Newcastle’s list of departures in the summer.
Karius admitted his release ‘made sense’ but the next stage of his career is yet to materialise. The German was linked with a shock move to Barcelona which ultimately wouldn’t materialise.
Hendrick also remains without a club, he spent time out on loan at QPR, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday but none of the three sides decided to make a permanent move for him.
Hendrick’s spell at Reading was a sign that he could perform at Championship level but at 32 years old the clock is ticking for Hendrick to pick up the pieces on his career.
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