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Tottenham should snub England International

By Rucker Haringey

ENFIELD, ENGLAND - MARCH 25: Ben Gibson of England runs through drills with teammates during the England training session at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on March 25, 2017 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
ENFIELD, ENGLAND - MARCH 25: Ben Gibson of England runs through drills with teammates during the England training session at the Tottenham Hotspur Training Centre on March 25, 2017 in Enfield, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham should pass on signing Ben Gibson

Tottenham could stand to add another quality central defender this summer, but they need to pass on this overrated English international. Paying £30 million for Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson would be poor value for Spurs.

The Mirror claim that Spurs, along with Leicester City and Liverpool, are keeping close tabs on the 24-year-old defender. The report also states that Middlesbrough are desperate to hang on to Gibson. Unfortunately, the club will almost certainly be forced to part with him if they suffer relegation.

For the record, I think Gibson is a perfectly adequate Premier League defender. Him making the England squad was a bit of a stretch for me, but it was certainly a defensible decision by Gareth Southgate. What I am saying, however, is that £30 million is entirely too much money to pay for an adequate centre back.

For Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, Gibson wouldn’t even be a lock to crack the starting XI. The only real path towards a starting spot for him would be in a back three. He isn’t good enough to knock either Toby Alderweireld or Jan Vertonghen out of the way. His only chance at starting would be at Eric Dier’s expense.

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As such, Spurs would be paying a sizable fee for a centre back who isn’t going to see much Premier League playing time. The question you must ask yourself, is whether or not Gibson is a sizable upgrade over Cameron Carter-Vickers. At £30 million, the difference in quality would need to be massive.

Admittedly, Gibson has already proven he can be a solid starter in the Premier League. Carter-Vickers has given a few promising cameos, but the jury is still out on him. Even so, I might be inclined to bet on the young American’s upside as opposed to Gibson. Remember, the ‘Boro defender is quite a bit older than Carter-Vickers.

Even if you’re inclined to believe Spurs need to purchase a better option that Carter-Vickers, you have to think it could be done for significantly less money. Tottenham don’t necessarily need to purchase an English defender. They could bring in a solid starter from another European league for £15 to £20 million.

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Simply put, Tottenham should let Liverpool and Leicester City fight it out for Ben Gibson. At that price, it would be a foolish transfer for Spurs.

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