Why Burnley should let Gibson go on loan rather than keep him

According to a report by the Daily Mail, out-of-favour Burnley defender Ben Gibson has attracted interest from German sides Eintracht Frankfurt and Cologne.

The Bundesliga outfits are looking to land the 26-year-old centre-back, who has not featured in a single league game this season on loan, the report added. However, his manager Sean Dyche has played down any such rumours, confirming that none of his players would be leaving Turf Moor.

Gibson, meanwhile, has had a season to forget so far, playing just a single match in the EFL Cup. The Nunthorpe-born defender has been on the fringes since the season’s inception with Dyche overtly preferring a centre-back pairing of James Tarkowski and skipper Ben Mee.

Both the centre-backs have started all of Burnley’s 21 league games so far, leaving rest of the defenders in the side such as Gibson and Kevin Long to warm the benches.

A regular during his days at former side Middlesbrough in the Championship, it was Gibson’s rock-solid displays at the back that had earned him a move to Turf Moor.

However, he has failed to establish himself as a regular ever since he moved from Middlesbrough in the summer of 2018 for a club-record fee of £15million. To date, he has played just 6 matches for the Clarets, of which 5 came last season.

Despite the side conceding 34 goals, Dyche has still opted to go with the side’s first-choice pairing rather than offering the rest of them a chance, which leaves serious doubts regarding the manager’s intent.

With the side having just four centre-backs in its ranks, Dyche’s decision to not let them leave makes sense. An injury or a dip in form is all that is required to turn the tables for Burnley, who are already looming close to the relegation zone.

However, constantly being on the sidelines since last season may have dampened the players morale and this will, in turn, affect the player’s relationship with the club.

Having played a total of 204 matches for Middlesbrough, Gibson was a key player for the Championship outfit and used to enjoy regular game time.

Keeping a player such as Gibson on the bench for this long feels like a wrong decision as it will have a serious effect on his performance, which in turn will affect Burnley if they ever decide to play him in the future.

Read more:

• Why it would be wise of Burnley to loan out-of-favour defender Gibson
• Why Celtic’s Nir would be a good catch for Dyche and Burnley
• Why Burnley must plot a swoop for Crystal Palace’s James McCarthy

Verdict

Burnley, at the moment, have as many as 7 defenders including Gibson in the side, and it would not cause them much harm if the 26-year-old is allowed to go out on loan to Germany.

Also, Gibson will be yearning for some regular action now and will be eager to prove a point if given the opportunity. Dyche could make good use of this opportunity to observe his on-field displays and growth, which could be of use to him in the future.

Also, if found necessary, he can still call him back anytime. Simply making him sit and not offering any chance is not doing any good for both the club and the player. Hence, it would be wise of Burnley to let Gibson move to Germany if a deal works out.