Steven Schumacher and Ben Gibson were on the same page when the defender broke away from a family holiday for a Zoom chat that sealed the move to Stoke City.
Centre-half Gibson, aged 31, arrives as a free agent after helping Norwich reach the play-offs in the final year of his contract at Carrow Road. Schumacher wanted to add experience and leadership to his changing room, where no player aged 30 or above started 20 or more league games last season.
The head coach said: “Ben comes with really good references. His playing career is there for everyone to see, you can see what he’s done, he’s got loads of experience, he’s got promotions out of this division.
“I spoke to him on a Zoom call when he was on a family holiday, had a good chat with him for about an hour, spoke a lot about football and told him everything about this club and what this dressing room needs. It needs leaders, it needs people in there who are not going to put up with second best. He fits that bill. The references I’ve got from the outside about him back that up, saying he’s a really good professional and he’s a winner. That’s so important for us to try to add to the group.”
Schumacher, when asked what impressed him during that Zoom call, said: “His hunger for the game. Ben’s had a really successful career and at 31 he could be looking for a chance to step off the gas. I didn’t sense that. He’s desperate to come here and challenge and try to be a team that competes at the top end of the division. That’s all he’s known really as a player. His hunger and his attitude and his personality. We had a laugh on that Zoom call and he’s the type of character I think will suit this group well.”
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