Boro close in on Ben Gibson

You can get a good solid champo centre half for £10k-£12k a week. If we are paying him any more than that then it is a vanity signing by the chairman, based almost purely on the fact he's a: related & b: from boro.

I will be a bit annoyed if we have decimated our squad and almost got ourselves into league 1 to allow enough wage budget free to sign the chairman's nephew on £25k plus a week. He's more than good enough, he may well be boro 'through and through', but it will be a poor financial decision for the club based on heart rather shrewd business acumen, like a lot of Gibbo's decisions.

I can only applaud someone with that level of commitment bank rolling this if it happens, but it doesn't really make financial sense for us, or accurately reflect Ben's ability level IMHO.

I'd disagree on it being a vanity signing. You can get a solid championship centre back for less but he's more than a solid centre back. He showed that he has enough about him to be a solid Premier League centre back and he was around the England squad. He would also walk straight back in as captain which is something we need and on top of that you can guarantee that he wants to be here, he wouldn't be coming for the money. It isn't overpaying for a rubbish player, it is paying (probably less than) the going rate for a very good one. The only thing I would question is why he wouldn't go to a team in a better position than us, either a lower half PL team or a recently relegated one who can pay the money because of parachute payments and will be looking towards promotion.

Talk of writing off £7.5m though is financial insanity and shows a lack of understanding in how finances work. That is money we have already accounted for. It's not just cancelling it, it is the same as spending £7.5m which is something we won't be doing any time soon. Best we can hope for is Burnley letting him leave on a free, which I also can't see happening. That way the inflated wages are offset by paying no transfer fee.
 
A no brainer for me. He's a decent champo defender who knows the club.

He's also very much a leader (ticks a box) and clearly desperate to get playing. He's not hardly kicked a ball in 18 months but he's not actually been injured for most of that.

He's been in and around the club training since February. So I'm sure Warnock has seen plenty of him.

I doubt it's a vanity signing. I don't see Warnock ex excepting 'gifts' from Gibson if he doesn't want them (Downing for AK). I imagine Warnock will say the money and wages could be better spent if he thought it could be.
 
Come on Finny! That's no brainer business lads a worker and 2 years ago was considered right up there with Maguire! As block said him plus hall and a keeper, we're properly in business

I badly hope this works out - for sure.
Personal view is I’ve never really been convinced by him. Time will tell.
 
Big pay cut and in a completely unrelated turn of events his uncle Steve starts a generous trust fund for him for after he's retired? 😏

Hmmm, Gibson has been fairly vocal about other clubs cheating their way round FFP so he'd be a bit of hypocrite to do that (I assume you were joking anyways).
 
In Warnock's interview he says that they're looking at 4 potential loans from the Premier League but have been told that a decision won't be made by the club of their No.1 target until 24th August. Could be Gibson if Burnley can't sell him to anyone else by then? Of course that's just pure speculation and it could be any number of players!
 
Actually we know more than most that Ben is a top player at this level and Burnley want rid which makes it a buyers market.

If he comes back and has a cracking season it will be an absolute steal for the club and I for one am hugely critical of our scouting and transfers.

Welcome back Gibbo show them what you are made of mate and everyone wins except Burnley, what a fantastic scenario!
 
No disrespect to Ryan Shotton but If Ryan's Shotton's wages are used on Ben Gibson and its a loan we are no worse off financially and we have a better player. Burnley have to agree to a loan, they may only want to sell.
 
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