Ben Gibson (Image credit: Google)
According to The Pink Un, Norwich City are interested in signing Burnley outcast Ben Gibson ahead of the new campaign.
The report also suggests that Gibson wants to return to action after being on the fringes at Turf Moor and Middlesbrough are also keen to take him back after he failed to make a name for himself under Sean Dyche.
Born in England, Gibson rose through the ranks of Boro’s youth academy. However, he initially struggled to find regular game time with the club’s senior team and was sent on different loan spells. He played for clubs like Plymouth, York City, and Tranmere Rovers before returning to his parent club in the summer of 2013.
He went on to establish himself in the heart of Boro’s defence and also helped them get promoted to the top-flight at the end of the 2016/17 campaign. His consistent form in that season also earned him a call-up to the national squad and he impressed in the following season as well.
After making over 200 appearances for Boro, he was signed by Burnley in the summer of 2018 for £15m and was expected to integrate himself into the squad. However, since then, his career took a huge hit and he managed to make just 5 appearances in his first season with the Clarets as he faced some hernia problems. He has been on the fringes and could exit the club this summer.
Dyche’s men were brilliant in the second half of the campaign as they managed to finish 10th in the league standings. And one of the key reasons for their good form of late was the stability in their defence.
They conceded just 13 goals in their last 16 league games and managed to keep 8 clean sheets during that time. Experienced campaigners Ben Mee and James Tarkowski formed a strong partnership and were phenomenal at the back. Apart from them, the Clarets also have Kevin Long as back up for the main defenders.
Youngsters Jim Dunne and Bobby Thomas have also been promoted to the senior set-up in recent times and the manager could do well with five centre-backs for next season. Thus, selling Gibson would be a wise decision by the club.
The Englishman didn’t feature beyond 1 game for the Clarets in the 2019/20 campaign and seems to have no future under Dyche. He has been surplus to their requirements after having fallen out of the frame. And keeping hold of him would only make them waste their resources.
At 27, Gibson still has a few years left to play and could revive his career elsewhere. And Burnley could also get rid of someone who is eventually going to stay on the bench. Thus, they should part ways with the former Boro man which could be helpful for both, the club and the player himself.
