According to a report in TEAMtalk, Stoke City are about to snap up defender Ben Gibson who is going to become a free agent next month.
Gibson has been a permanent player at Norwich City since 2021 and so far, he has played in 124 games across all competitions. His three-year contract with Norwich City is set to expire at the end of this month, following which the 31-year-old is going to join Stoke City.
Ben Gibson has played in close to 440 games in his senior career and this season, he has featured in 35 Championship appearances in a pretty eventful season for Norwich which saw them finish sixth on the table.
The centre-back has played in 67 Premier League games in his career but most of his has been spent in the second division with Norwich and Middlesbrough.
Do Stoke City need a player like Ben Gibson?
Stoke City have released defender Ciaran Clark after just a disappointing single season at the club which makes Gibson’s signing a necessity.
After Clark’s departure, the Potters are left with only two central defenders in the form of Michael Rose and Ben Wilmot so Steven Schumacher will have to add depth to that department before the new season kicks off.
The club will most likely add two new centre-backs and free agent Ben Gibson is not a bad start at all.
The English centre-back has played 2876 minutes of Championship football this season and he’s won close to 70% of his tackles and has been dispossessed only 4 times. He’s been dribbled past just five times in 35 games and he’s made 46 interceptions.
Gibson is pretty good with the ball at his feet and that will help Stoke City be a better team while playing out from the back.
At 31, Ben Gibson is not going to receive a long-term deal, that’s for sure, but the vast experience he will bring is enough to reward him with a two or three-year deal.
Joining a team which finished 17th this season will be a slight downgrade for Ben Gibson but it will help him remain in the Championship and hopefully, he can assist Stoke City move up the table next campaign.
