Scottish Premiership giants Rangers reporteldy wanted to sign Lewis Gibson – but the Fleetwood Town loanee has signed a contract with Everton instead.
Fleetwood Town manager Joey Barton believes on-loan defender Lewis Gibson is the ‘real deal’, shortly after his old employers Rangers missed out on the chance to sign the £6m million Everton starlet.
The fact that a Merseyside giant was willing to pay such a substantial fee for a little-known 17-year-old almost three years ago speaks volumes about how highly regarded Gibson is in the youth game.
The former Newcastle United reserve has the world at his feet and a loan spell in League One could be the making of a player with superb positional sense and a maturity that belies his age.
Gibson made his Fleetwood debut, and his first ever appearance in senior football, during Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Doncaster Rovers. And Barton, a boyhood Everton fan, was left blown away by a peerless performance in the hurly-burly of England’s lower leagues.
“We’ve been tracking Lewis Gibson for a large period because we’ve been looking for a left-footed centre-half,” the former Newcastle and Manchester City midfielder told the Gazette.
“Lewis Gibson looked the real deal and handled (the occasion) superbly, and he’ll come on so much for that.”
According to The Daily Record (18 November, back page) Rangers were hoping to lure Gibson to Ibrox with his contract due to expire at the end of the 2019/20 campaign. But the England youth star has now seemingly put an end to such speculation by signing a new two-and-a-half year deal at Goodison Park (Echo).
Rangers’ loss, however, could be Everton’s gain for years to come. Due to a loophole in regulations, the Glasgow giants had the chance to land Gibson for a minor compensation fee and, given that the teen is one of the most talented defensive prospects south of the border, he could have been one of Rangers’ best bargain signings in years – not to mention promising a substantial future profit.
Technically gifted and versatile enough to fill in in a problematic left-back position, Gibson could have provided competition for not only Conor Goldson but Borna Barisic too.
But, with Everton lacking quantity and quality at centre-back, don’t be surprised if a player who has coMmitted his long-term future to The Toffees is playing regularly under Carlo Ancelotti sooner rather than later.
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