Ben Gibson has struggled to break into the Burnley side. (Getty Images)
Back in July, Leeds Live had claimed Leeds United were interested in signing Burnley’s Ben Gibson on a season-long loan. However, no deal materialised as Burnley were reluctant to let the defender leave on loan during the summer transfer window.
Ben Gibson, 26, spent his youth career at Middlesbrough and made his senior debut for the club in 2011. He made 38 Premier League appearances for Middlesbrough in 2016-17 before their relegation to the Championship at the end of the season.
The defender didn’t have the best of campaigns during 2018/19. An injury-hit campaign allowed him to feature just once for Burnley in the Premier League, following his £15million switch from Boro last summer.
Despite staying put at Turf Moor, Gibson hasn’t played much so far this season as Sean Dyche has preferred James Tarkowski and Ben Mee in central defence. He’ll continue finding his place in the first team blocked by Tarkowski and Mee and keeping that in mind, Leeds must reignite their interest in the ex-Middlesbrough man in January.
Leeds have got a very strong squad and are extremely well-placed to challenge for promotion this season, but there’s no doubt that they could do with some extra depth in certain areas and the loan market will allow them to do that.
They would look to bring in a couple of players on loan in January to strengthen their squad, as they hope to win promotion to the Premier League – especially if they end up losing some of their loan players.
One area Marcelo Bielsa should look to reinforce in January is his defence. Ben White arrived on a season-long loan from Brighton in July, replacing the departed Pontus Jansson.
He has been excellent at Elland Road so far, picking up the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month award for August. But Liam Cooper is out with an injury and Gaetano Berardi has looked shaky at the back.
That’s why bringing in a new central defender would make sense for the Whites and Ben Gibson would be a good fit.
Gibson was a hugely popular figure at Middlesbrough. He rose through the youth ranks at the club, cemented his position in the starting line-up and later became the captain for the Riverside club.
The 26-year-old has volumes of Championship experience and combines robust defending with a confident and accomplished work on the ball to make a great blend required to be a successful modern-day centre-half. All in all, the ex-Boro man could be the perfect partner for White in Leeds’ backline.
Gibson fits what Bielsa likes in a defender smartly and he would be a top signing for the Whites. Regular football would definitely appeal to Gibson and if Leeds could pull off a loan deal it should be seen as a massive coup.
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