According to the latest reports from the Northern Echo, Newcastle United are looking to sign Burnley’s centre back Ben Gibson. The Clarets are said to be willing to listen to offers for the 26-year-old defender after signing him just last season only. Burnley signed the defender from Middlesbrough for a whopping £15m fee.
The report mentions that Burnley wouldn’t like to take too much of a hit on the price they paid for the defender last season. Steven Bruce is known to be an admirer of the centre back, and he even tried to bring him to Aston Villa when he was their manager. The Magpies will have to fend off competition for Gibson as new Premier League entrants like Norwich City, Sheffield United and Aston Villa are said to be interested.
Gibson made just five appearances in all competitions last season, and it is fair to say that he hasn’t managed to find a footing in Sean Dyche’s side.
What can Gibson bring to the table?
Gibson is an experienced defender at the Championship level, but he is yet to establish himself in the Premier League. The 26-year-old is an impressive defender with good physical attributes and aerial abilities. Gibson reads the dangers well and is committed in his defending. Maybe for any other bottom-half Premier League club, Gibson would have managed to get more regular game time.
Does Newcastle United need someone like Gibson?
The Toon built their team on the back of good defensive performances under Rafael Benitez. The club has got five reliable centre back options in the form of Fabian Schar, Florian Lejeune, Federico Fernandez, Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark.
Clark was anyway surplus to requirements for the most parts last season, and we don’t see the need for the club to sign a new centre back like Gibson. Moreover, we think that the defender is unlikely to come in cheap as Burnley will try to recoup most of the £15m they spent on him.
Therefore it is surprising to see the Magpies being linked with a defender. Until and unless there is a departure on the cards, Steven Bruce should work with the defensive options he already has currently. We feel that the club doesn’t need to change much defensively and they should look to build on from where Benitez left them. The likes of Schar, Lejeune and Lascelles are some of the best defenders when it comes to the bottom half clubs and signing Gibson will be a waste of money.
