Why it would be wise of Burnley to loan out-of-favour defender Gibson
According to the Sunday Mirror (h/t TeessideLive), Middlesbrough have been linked with a January loan move for Burnley defender Ben Gibson. The 26-year-old is now wanted by his boyhood club Middlesbrough, who sold him to Burnley for £15m just 16 months ago.
The Championship side are currently in a very poor position, with the club hanging at 20th place, and manager Jonathan Woodgate needs to sort out his defensive shortcomings in the winter transfer window.
Also, injuries to main men George Friend and Anfernee Dijksteel has put him under immense pressure to sign a defender, someone who could now save them from further embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Gibson who shifted to Turf Moor in the summer of 2018 has struggled to get game time, having made just one appearance so far – in the Carabao Cup.
With Clarets manager Sean Dyche increasingly preferring skipper Ben Mee and James Tarkowski at the heart of their defence, Gibson has seen himself restricted to the bench most of the time.
A regular in the Middlesbrough side, Gibson’s impressive performances had helped them finish 5th in the 2017-18 Championship season. Burnley manager Dyche, who was overwhelmed by his displays, soon roped him in in an attempt to add more strength to his squad.
However, Gibson has played just 6 matches for the Clarets since joining and has found himself surplus to requirements at Turf Moor.
With Boro interested in taking their former star back to Riverside, Burnley must capitalise on this opportunity and let Gibson make a switch back to his boyhood club as he is of no use to Dyche at the moment.
Moreover, sitting on the fringes may have dampened the Englishman’s spirits, having played a whopping 204 matches for Middlesbrough since joining their academy as a 12-year-old.
Having spent two successive seasons on the sidelines, it would be better if the Clarets sanction a loan move for Gibson rather than keeping him with them for no particular reason at all.
Sending him on loan would give them the time to monitor his performances and call him back if required. Moreover, it would be of immense help to Gibson, who could once again regain his match sharpness by getting to play more.
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Verdict
With Dyche making no particular use of the defender, it would be wise of the Clarets to send Gibson away on loan than paying his wages.
Having spent two seasons without regular football, it is quite clear that Dyche has no intention of playing him. Thus, offering him a loan move to his boyhood club would do a world of good for the 26-year old.
