Stoke City agree £1m-a-year deal to sign in-demand Norwich City cast-off

Stoke City secure former Norwich defender Ben Gibson, showing ambition and intent in rebuilding their squad for a stronger season.

Gibson’s experience and defensive prowess will be crucial for Stoke as they aim to climb up the Championship table under Steven Schumacher.

Despite initial challenges, Gibson’s abilities and improvements will be valuable for Stoke City’s defense and their promotion aspirations.

Stoke City are set to complete the signing of former Norwich City defender Ben Gibson, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

Gibson was released by Norwich this summer at the end of his contract after four years at Carrow Road, and Stoke are said to have won the race for his signature.

The 31-year-old was attracting interest from “a handful of Championship sides”, but the Potters “came up with the most lucrative package”, and they will be “paying in the region of £1 million a year for his experience”.

Gibson will become Stoke’s second signing of what has been a busy summer so far as Steven Schumacher looks to rebuild his squad after keeping the club in the division this season.

The Potters have already brought in Rotherham United goalkeeper Viktor Johansson this summer, fighting off competition from Derby County and Sheffield United, and Gibson looks set to be the next player to make the move to the bet365 Stadium.

Gibson began his career with Middlesbrough, and he went on to make 204 appearances for his hometown club, helping them to promotion to the Premier League in 2016.

The 31-year-old’s impressive performances for Boro earned him a reputation as one of the best defenders in the Championship, and he made the move to Burnley for a fee of £15 million in August 2018.

However, Gibson’s spell at Turf Moor turned out to be a disaster as he made just six appearances for the Clarets, and after a fall out with manager Sean Dyche, he returned to train at Boro in February 2020.

Gibson joined Norwich on loan in September 2020, and after winning the Championship title with the Canaries in his first season at the club, the move was made permanent for a fee of £8 million the following summer.

The defender was a regular during his four years at Carrow Road, and he was an important part of the team this season as Norwich reached the play-offs, where they were beaten by Leeds United in the semi-finals.

 

Gibson came in for criticism from some Canaries supporters for his unconvincing performances in the first half of the season, but he regained his form after returning from two months on the sidelines with injury in December, with head coach David Wagner praising him for his improvement.

“In recent weeks, or the last month, he has shown maybe a different style to his game – very aggressive, very front-foot defending, very brave, to not give the opponent a breather,” Wagner told the Pink Un. “Rather than only this ball-playing centre half everyone is speaking about.

“He added something different maybe to his game; this nastiness, this aggression, which you like to have from a centre half especially if you like to be a front-foot defending team, which is what we like to be.

“He has adapted extremely well in recent weeks. He deserves all the credit and the praise which he gets for this new style, or adaptation, which he brought into his game. Still space for improvement, not a shadow of a doubt, but he made some big steps.”

Given that he played a crucial role in Norwich’s play-off push, it was something of a surprise to see Gibson released at the end of his contract, but he will not be without a club for long after agreeing a move to Stoke.

Gibson will be an excellent signing for Stoke, and his imminent arrival is another coup for the Potters after they won the race for Johansson last month.

The defender will have had no shortage of suitors after his release by Norwich, and he will likely have had interest from clubs that finished much higher than Stoke last season, but the fact he has chosen to make the move to the bet365 Stadium is a big endorsement of Schumacher’s project.

Gibson may have had a tough start to the season, but he was an integral part of the Canaries’ defence in the second half of the campaign as they finished sixth, and he will add solidity and experience to the Potters’ back line.

Schumacher will be hoping for a much-improved season after a 17th-placed finish this term, and with Gibson having won promotion to the Premier League on two occasions during his career, he can certainly help the Potters move up the table.