FanPost

Comparing top targets at centre-half

I just read this over on Teamtalk and wanted to post a quick response:

"The papers claim Mauricio Pochettino wants to add quality and quantity to his ranks in a bid to allow Tottenham the option of playing with either a back four or three at the back - and £15million-rated Mawson, and £25million-rated Gibson are both in his sights."


Rumour has it that we're looking at Gibson, but even if the prices were the same, I'd much rather see us bid for Mawson. If Mawson costs us £10m less? I can't imagine why we'd prefer Gibson in that case.

I'm not suggesting that Gibson isn't a strong player with a bright future, but he's far from the finished product. He holds the ball well, but he's not a great tackler and struggles with balls in the air. He's listed as just under 6' tall, so it's hard to imagine that he'll ever be great aerial defender. Leicester love to get their fullbacks forward, so the centre-halfs are going to be seeing a lot of crosses. I like Gibson, but I don't think he's a great fit for City.

Mawson, on the other hand, can do everything that Gibson does and more. He's already a strong defender in the air. He's brilliant on set pieces at both ends of the pitch. He throws himself in front of shots like a true Fox. In addition, he's got "future captain" written all over him. Besides, how can you not love a guy named "Alfie"?

The fly in the ointment, of course, is that relegated Boro will certainly have to sell Gibson, whereas Swansea have no such impetus. That will surely drive Mawson's price higher than the rumoured £15m. How much more is difficult to guess in this inflated market, but even if the Swans insist on £25m, for my money, he's a bargain compared to Gibson.

Trending Discussions