Norwich sign Burnley outcast Ben Gibson on loan with a view to a permanent £8m switch

Norwich City have signed Burnley centre back Ben Gibson on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent £8m deal.
Ben GibsonBen Gibson
Ben Gibson

Gibson trained with the Canaries on Friday morning before completing the formalities of his move, which will become permanent should City be promoted back to the Premier League at the end of the 2020/21 season.

Gibson will wear shirt number 34 for the duration of the upcoming season.

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Speaking to canaries.co.uk, Gibson said: “I’m absolutely delighted. It’s been a long time coming, I’ve been desperate to play football for a couple of years now and it hasn’t materialised, so a fresh start is exactly what I need.

“An opportunity to come to an aspiring football club that has a clear ambition to get back to the Premier League at the first time of asking – that’s what I’m here to be part of, to play football and get back enjoying it and get this club back to where it belongs.

“This club has a clear ambition and more than that, it’s clear what it’s about in terms of mentality, how it’s going to get there, the structure of the club.

“Stuart Webber, the boss [Daniel Farke] and the owners have all put in place something that should last for a very long time.

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“It’s a project I really wanted to be a part of. The facilities here are unbelievable and you can see the environment around the team, the club are making it absolutely perfect.

“There’s no excuses to why you should fail or not be at your best. All the tools are here to create something special and that’s why I wanted to be a part of it.”

Gibson had not returned to Burnley for pre-season, having stayed away since the start of February, when he was allowed to train with former club Middlesbrough after frustrations boiled over in training at the Barnfield Training Centre after he saw Watford fail with three offers to sign the 27-year-old before the transfer deadline,

The £15m joint record signing made only six appearances for the Clarets, and started only one Premier League game since joining from Boro two summers ago.

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Hopes were high at the Riverside Stadium of a return, while Burnley had been keen on using him as a makeweight in a deal for Joe Worrall, but City have been in talks for weeks with Burnley and the centre back’s representatives, and he now has the opportunity to kick-start his career at Carrow Road.