'Deal done' - Forgotten Crystal Palace and Newcastle United 'Barclays man' offered huge transfer lifeline

Former Crystal Palace cult hero Dwight Gayle has completed a move to Scottish Premiership side Hibernian as a free agent following his release from Derby County this summer.

The 34-year-old had been on trial with Stockport County this summer as he became somewhat of a forgotten man. Gayle had joined the Rams on a short-term contract in February and made six third-tier appearances as the club achieved promotion to the Championship.

The ex Premier League bagsman netted three goals in back-to-back matches in March but suffered a hamstring injury later that month which saw him miss the rest of the campaign. Derby County boss Paul Warne praised Gayle for his impact on the side after his early prolific form.

Warne said: "We know he is rusty, and we also know he can definitely play at this level and he is another threat for us. Some of his touches were good again and he took a little bit more rust off."

The former Crystal Palace man is held in somewhat of a cult hero status at Selhurst Park thanks to his three-year spell at the side. Gayle scored 25 goals in 74 appearances for the Eagles, including a famous brace from the bench in a 3-3 thriller against Liverpool in South London in May 2014.

During his most prolific spell with the Eagles, former manager Tony Pulis labelled the player as 'fantastic'. Speaking in the month of that draw against the Reds, Pulis said: “When I first came into the club Dwight was the marquee signing. We’d spent a lot of money on him and he looked as though he had the weight of the world on his shoulders in lots of respects.

“I don’t think he was really integrated within the main core of the group and he looked a little bit on the fringes. We’ve spent a lot of time working with him and opening him up as a person and as a player.

“He has become a lot closer to the group, a lot closer to his mates in the dressing room and I think he just needed that, he didn’t need the pressure that could have been put on him. We took that away from him and in the last couple of weeks he has been brilliant on the pitch.”

Gayle left Palace in 2016 to join Newcastle United for £10 million. The forward was prolific for the Magpies with 23 goals in his first season before managing six Premier League goals in the 2017/18 campaign and then 23 Championship goals in the 2018/19 season. Gayle left the Tyneside club to join Stoke City in 2022.

Gayle becomes Hibs' 12th first team signing this summer as the club continues to look for a first league win of the season. Hibs boss David Gray said: “He’s a different type of striker to what we currently have in the building. He’s a real penalty box type of striker, a great finisher, and his experience will be of great benefit to us."