Scottish Premiership champions Celtic reportedly wanted Ben Gibson but the Burnley flop is reportedly joining Premier League rivals Watford instead.
Watford are ‘confident’ of completing the signing of £15 million Burnley flop Ben Gibson in the final two days of the January transfer window, according to TEAMtalk.
When Sean Dyche’s side paid a club-record fee to bring the Middlesbrough captain to Turf Moor, it is fair to say they would have expected Gibson to play more than 63 minutes of Premier League football in claret and blue.
But that humiliating 5-1 home defeat to Everton on Boxing Day 2018 remains the 27-year-old’s one and only top-flight appearance for Burnley. And with Watford now expecting to secure his signature before the end of the week, it looks very unlikely that Gibson will build on that meagre tally.
TEAMtalk suggests that Gibson will join The Hornets on loan with Nigel Pearson’s side set to pay every penny of his £40,000-a-week wages.
A commanding centre-back who was handed an England call-up just two years ago will be relieved to see that a miserable spell at Burnley has not destroyed his reputation. His no-nonsense, aggressive style should appeal to an old-school coach like Pearson, though ousting the likes of Craig Cathcart and Christian Kabasele at Vicarage Road could be a challenge.
TEAMtalk adds that Gibson was also a target for former club Middlesbrough as well as Scottish Premiership champions Celtic, who are still looking for a centre-half to provide competition for Kristoffer Ajer and Christopher Jullien.
The Echo, however, claimed that Gibson wanted to stay in the Premier League at all costs. The lure of the top flight, it seems, has convinced him to turn his back on a return to the North East – not to mention the chance to lift trophies and play European football at Celtic.
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