Dwight Gayle’s summer switch from Peterborough to Premier League new boys Crystal Palace yesterday marks a remarkable rise for the one time carpenter.

Even Gayle himself admitted his ascendance to the highest league in the English game is unprecedented. ‘To be playing in the Premier League from where I've come from is a big achievement’, the pintsize 22 year old remarked. You can say that again Mr Gayle. Released at the age of 12 by Arsenal for being ‘too small’, Gayle fell out of love with the game for several years. His football activity was only extending as far as a kick-about in the park with his friends. In 2009, one of his friends brought him for a trial at Stansted FC- affectionately known as the 'airport men.' Dwight never looked back from there. Scoring an incredible 57 goals in his inaugural season in the Essex Senior League, he quickly caught the attention of then Dagenham and Redbridge manager John Still. Still quickly snapped him up yet financial restraints meant he was loaned immediately to Bishop’s Stortford. Producing players like Craig Mackail-Smith and Steve Morison, the concoction of being a permanent Daggers player and gaining experience in Hertfordshire in hindsight did wonders for Gayle. He broke the latter’s club record goals tally with 42 to his name. It then took a mere 4 months for Daggers boss Still to cash in on his star striker-and Peterborough have done the same this time to the greatest league of them all.

Whilst the transfer fee is officially undisclosed, several sources report the deal could be worth up to £8.5 million. In typical charismatic style, Ian Holloway declared himself ‘annoyed that it took until this season to secure Gayle’. It seems Holloway was one of 13 interested parties in Gayle, who scored an impressive 20 goals in 49 appearances in his debut season in the Football League, including 13 for Posh. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain as the Cambridgeshire club suffered relegation on the last day of the 2012-13 Championship season, ironically going down to a defeat from Crystal Palace.

If Palace themselves are to defy the odds and avoid the trap door at the first time of asking, it is clear that Gayle will be an imperative player. Critics will argue that the reported fee is too high for a man with as little experience as Gayle, many of which would never have seen him play let alone fairly assessed his ability. I can speak for many in saying that this 22 year old will go far in the game having seen him play several games at Victoria Road-home of the Daggers. The most impressive thing about Gayle was and still is his all-round contribution to the team-not just in the form of scoring goals but also creating chances for his teammates with his impeccable movement. Yet this is only the tip of the iceberg. Gayle’s pace will cause problems for even the best defences in the country. His finishing in front of goal will put the ball past some of the best goalkeepers in the world plying their trade in the Premier League. The only thing stopping Gayle from putting the ball in the back of the net for the South Londoners is the quality of service delivered to him. It remains to be seen whether Crystal Palace will recruit the sufficient calibre of player in midfield to take some pressure off Gayle. Yet with him in the inventory of weapons, Palace will always have a chance of being in the Premier League come this time next year.

I predict that Gayle’s impact on the Premier League will spur an even greater, far reaching debate about what we do with our smaller footballers in this country. Arsenal’s youth development staff will be kicking themselves for using size as a reason for severing ties with Gayle when this clinical forward is unleashed on the Premier League. Don’t rule out an England cap in the future…

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