Dwight Gayle

His Peterborough debut came on 24 November as a 53rd-minute substitute for Saido Berahino in a 1–1 away draw with Ipswich Town.

Gayle's first Peterborough goal was on 1 December: he picked up a poor backpass by Blackpool's Alex Baptiste to score what was only a consolation goal in a 4–1 home defeat.

Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson said of Gayle: "He listens. He picks up things quickly, which is always a sign of a good player."

On 24 December, after scoring five goals in six matches during his loan spell, Gayle agreed to sign permanently for Peterborough.

Dwight Devon Boyd Gayle (born 17 October 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker, for Derby County.

Gayle played in the Arsenal academy as a youth, but was released in 2007, after which he began his career with Ryan of the Essex Olympian Football League.

In subsequent seasons, he would work his way back up through the English football pyramid via stints at Stansted, Bishop's Stortford, Dagenham & Redbridge and Peterborough United, before establishing himself in the Premier League with Crystal Palace.

He played semi-professional football in the Essex Olympian Football League with Ryan, before moving up to join Essex Senior League club Stansted in 2009, where he went on to score 57 goals in the 2010–11 season.

In the summer of 2011, he signed for League Two club Dagenham & Redbridge.

In August 2011, he was sent out to Bishop's Stortford on a season-long loan, during which he scored 29 goals in 42 appearances in the Conference North.

He then signed a three-year professional contract with Dagenham & Redbridge in July 2012.

He made his professional debut for the Daggers on 18 August 2012, in a 2–0 defeat to Cheltenham Town.

In November 2012, Gayle joined Peterborough United on loan with an option to make the move permanent in January 2013.

At the time of his signing, he was described as an "energetic, hardworking, pacey striker" and a "natural finisher".

He joined on 2 January 2013 on a four-and-a-half-year contract for a fee of £500,000 which could rise to £750,000.

On 2 March, he scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 win against Blackburn Rovers.

On 3 July 2013, Gayle signed a four-year contract for newly promoted Premier League club Crystal Palace for an undisclosed fee, reported as a club record £4.5 million.

His former club Dagenham & Redbridge received £1 million of the initial transfer fee plus 20% of any extra payments made due to a sell-on clause added when he signed for Peterborough United.

He made his Palace debut playing 90 minutes in a home match against Tottenham Hotspur on 18 August in a 1–0 loss.

On 31 August, Gayle scored his first goal for the club and his first in the Premier League by successfully converting a penalty against Sunderland after he was fouled by John O'Shea.

On 5 October, he scored in a 3–1 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield.

On 26 December, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win against Aston Villa in added time at the end of the match.

In part due to injury, he found first team appearance opportunities limited for the remainder of the season.

He returned towards the end of the season scoring two goals as Palace came back from 3–0 down to draw 3–3 at home to Liverpool, which effectively ended their chances of the league title.

On 26 August 2014, Gayle scored his first hat-trick for Crystal Palace, scoring three times in the first half to give Palace a 3–0 win over Walsall in the second round of the League Cup.

Four days later, he scored his first goal of the Premier League season in the opening minute of a 3–3 draw at Newcastle United.

On 23 November, Gayle scored in the home fixture against Liverpool for the second consecutive season as Palace defeated the Merseyside team 3–1.

On 4 January, Gayle scored his first goal of 2015 in a 4–0 win over Dover Athletic in the third round of the FA Cup.

He then scored three goals in the team's next two matches; a 2–1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur and a 3–2 defeat of Burnley at Turf Moor.

Gayle ended the season as top scorer in all competitions for Crystal Palace, despite, like the season before, struggling to hold down a consistent place in the starting eleven.

On 11 August 2015, Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill confirmed that Crystal Palace had accepted an undisclosed bid for Gayle.

On 15 August, the transfer broke down as it was confirmed that Bristol City were no longer interested in signing Gayle.

Gayle failed to hold down a regular first-team place, due to a series of injuries throughout the season.

In 2016, he signed for Newcastle United where he spent six years scoring 34 goals in 122 games.

Gayle joined Stoke City in July 2022 before leaving in February 2024.

Later on in the month Gayle joined Derby County.

Gayle was born in Walthamstow, London and attended Chingford Foundation School.

He started his career with youth club Ridgeway Rovers and spent time with the Arsenal academy but was released at the age of 12 due to his height.

After leaving Arsenal, Gayle concentrated on his education taking courses in carpentry and later got a job refurbishing offices.

On 12 April 2016, Gayle signed a contract with Crystal Palace to keep him at the club until 2019.