A recommendation from Alex Neil and Steven Schumacher was sent to Derby County prior to Dwight Gayle’s signing.
As the League One season comes to a close, 34-year-old Gayle has joined Derby as a replacement for injured top scorer James Collins. In a very close race for promotion, the team is in second place, six points behind Portsmouth and ahead of Bolton Wanderers, who have played one less game, purely on goal differential. Barnsley is six points behind and still has the game remaining.
The striker had been released by Stoke at the end of the January transfer window after a tough 18 months, which saw him score three times in 50 appearances. He had slipped down an increasingly-long pecking order and arranged his exit by mutual consent so that he could continue his career as a free agent.
Derby boss Paul Warne got in touch with Neil while his assistant Richie Barker spoke to Schumacher as they assessed whether he would be the right man at a crucial time.
“However, he continued to attend training regardless of his status in the squad. He was good in the changing room and constantly aimed to be the best version of himself. To be fair, and I can’t mention a specific player because it’s unfair, but even if a player is our 19th man on Saturday, it doesn’t mean he can’t play well somewhere else.
“When I spoke to Dwight, he told me about a conversation he had with Alex, so then I spoke to Alex just to make sure what he said to me is what Alex heard as well. There is a bias between a player and a manager. The manager walks out and goes that went well, the player comes out thinking what a whopper he is.
“But they both came out with the same story, so that was good. If I ever get a red flag in any of it then I walk away. There was none and I hope in future years Dwight looks back and thinks it was one of his better decisions because he could play a big part in a big season.”
