Newcastle United were keen on Kieran Gibbs before he made his £7 million move to West Bromwich Albion in the summer.
Few would have imagined in the summer that West Brom would go into this stage of the season with relegation to the Championship looking a possibility, let alone an apparent formality. The Baggies appeared destined for a strong campaign after adding the likes of Kieran Gibbs, Jay Rodriguez, Oliver Burke and Grzegorz Krychowiak to their squad during the summer window.
However, Alan Pardew’s men are clearly running out of opportunities to keep themselves in the Premier League, and relegation should signal the start of a major clear-out at The Hawthorns, that perhaps sees most of those summer signings move on.
Like many of the Baggies squad, Gibbs is good enough to attract Premier League attention this summer. But on paper, there does not appear to be too many teams that need a left-back who reportedly earns £80,000 a week, according to the Chronicle.
That same report from the Chronicle suggested that Newcastle were keen on Gibbs before his £7 million switch to West Brom. And while the form of Paul Dummett may leave Newcastle fans not exactly urging Rafa Benitez to go after Gibbs again, perhaps Benitez should consider reviving his interest in the former Arsenal ace.
A recent report from the Chronicle suggested that there is a belief at St James’ Park that Dummett could move into the middle of the defence in the future, and that is why an ambitious move for Luke Shaw is on the club’s radar. But with Newcastle’s record in the transfer market over the last few years a mixed one, to say the least, perhaps Magpies fans will be stopping themselves from believing that the Manchester United man is coming in until it is confirmed and the Englishman is pictured holding the famous black and white shirt.
Looking at Gibbs after being linked with Shaw may knock the wind out of the fans’ sails somewhat, but he is a proven performer in the top flight who has largely avoided criticism despite West Brom’s terrible season.
And with the Baggies looking destined for Championship football next season, perhaps Newcastle may be able to land Gibbs for less than what West Brom paid almost a year ago – and perhaps the prospect of playing in the second tier will tempt the defender to lower his wage demands if a top flight team come knocking.
If Benitez has a limited budget to work with this summer, signing Gibbs may not be a bad move at all – even if it is not the deal that fans will be hoping for after reports of their interest in Shaw emerged.
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