It seems like advantage West Ham United for the Arsenal man, but Newcastle United can’t give in.
West Ham United have been boosted by a report from The Daily Star which claims that linked-away Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs is keen to stay in London.
Sead Kolasinac’s Bosman arrival in North London has effectively ended Gibbs’s 13-year long spell with the Gunners as he looks for a move away.
It was reported by the print edition of The Sun on Sunday last month that newly-promoted duo Newcastle United and Brighton & Hove Albion were interested in the 27-year-old, who has played second fiddle to Nacho Monreal at Arsenal since 2013.
But The Daily Star reported on Thursday that the England international wants to stay in London in a development which “alerts” West Ham and Crystal Palace.
If he does want to stay in the capital then the Hammers are certainly the most attractive and realistic destination for him, given that Chelsea and Tottenham won’t be interested.
But if Newcastle ever were interested then manager Rafael Benitez shouldn’t throw in the towel just yet.
For the most part, Gibbs has spent the last four-and-a-half years on Arsenal’s bench, watching on as Monreal made that left-back role his own and Aaron Cresswell’s presence at the Irons means that regular football isn’t a foregone conclusion for him.
It could be the same old story, just at a different club. It would, however, be a different story at Newcastle where Paul Dummett would be the only obstacle between him and regular football for the first time in quite a while.
With this being a World Cup year, it is imperative that Gibbs plays regularly to give England boss Gareth Southgate something to think about.
The Sun claimed earlier this month that Newcastle were willing to meet Arsenal’s £15 million valuation, and that still should be the case.
Paul Dummett celebrates after scoring the third goal for Newcastle
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