After staying most of the season out of the relegation zone, Middlesbrough are now one of the favourites to get relegated at the end of the season. And though the team as a whole has been quite dismal in the league, there have been individuals in the side who have stood out.
One such player is their star defender Ben Gibson. The club is well aware of his popularity among top Premier League clubs and has labelled him at £35 million. Here are the three sides, who have a real chance of landing the English international coming summer-
Chelsea- Antonio Conte has been an admirer of the 24-year-old defender of late. The Italian manager’s back three has been more or less fixed for the entire part of this season but Chelsea cannot line-up in their full strength every game next season, as the fixtures will pile on. And Conte has already started making plans for it.
Players like Kurt Zouma and Nathan Ake, who have been mostly on the bench at Chelsea this season, are expected to play the alternate back three for Conte next season. And Ben Gibson could be the ideal missing piece for the young trio.
John Terry is expected to leave the club at the end of the season for either taking the coaching role at Stamford Bridge or end his career with first team chances at a different club. Which means Gibson could break directly into Conte’s B team.
Liverpool- Jurgen Klopp’s biggest concern this season has been their defence. The Reds have conceded the highest number of goals (36) among the top six at the moment. While goalkeeping has been a constant problem for Liverpool with the manager yet to decide, who has been worse- Mignolet or Loris Karius, the centre-half pairing has looked incomplete.
Joel Matip has been one of Liverpool’s best players this season in terms of impact and one can only imagine how good the Reds would have been if the Cameroon international had a decent partner at the heart of the defence. Neither Dejan Lovren nor Ragnar Klavan has been up to the mark this season.
Klopp even had to play central midfielder Lucas Leiva in that position to try out a better alternative alongside Matip, but things haven’t worked out. Liverpool have a realistic chance of qualifying in the top four this season and if they do, a quality centre-back is mandatory. And Gibson could be a good addition.
Manchester City- Pep Guardiola is eyeing a major overhaul at Etihad next season and most of it is expected to be in the back line. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager have always opted to go for young players, who could easily adapt to his blueprint. And given Gibson’s versatility at the back, he could be a good option for Guardiola’s new age City.
Gibson can play equally well on the right defensive flank and should have no problems gelling into Guardiola’s fluid setup.
