Middlesbrough were the real winners from £15m Burnley deal | OneFootball

Middlesbrough were disappointed to lose defender Ben Gibson to Burnley in the summer of 2018, but they turned out to be the winners of the deal.

It is fair to say that Middlesbrough have had a strong record in the transfer market over the years under owner Steve Gibson.

Middlesbrough have not been afraid to spend big in recent times in their pursuit of a return to the Premier League, but big money sales have helped to balance the books at the Riverside Stadium and avoid any financial issues.

Winger Morgan Rogers became the club's latest high-profile departure last January when he made the move to Aston Villa for an initial fee of £8 million, which could rise to £16 million, but he is far from the only player that Boro have made a profit on.

The likes of Marcus Tavernier, Djed Spence, Adama Traore and Chuba Akpom have all brought in sizeable transfer fees for the Teesside outfit over the past few years, but the sale of defender Ben Gibson to Burnley for £15 million in the summer of 2018 was one of the most significant exits in the club's history.

Gibson had come through Boro's academy to establish himself in the first-team, so supporters were understandably gutted to lose him, but given his subsequent career trajectory, the deal may now be viewed very differently.

Ben Gibson exit was frustrating for Middlesbrough

Gibson joined Middlesbrough from Marton in 2005 at the age of 12, and after making his league debut for the club in April 2011, he then spent time out on loan at Plymouth Argyle, York City and Tranmere Rovers.

It was not until the 2014-15 season that Gibson really began to nail down his place in the Boro first-team, but he certainly took the opportunity he was given by Aitor Karanka, and he nearly helped his side to promotion, but they were beaten by Norwich City in the play-off final at Wembley.

That defeat only seemed to provide Gibson and his team-mates with greater motivation to achieve their Premier League ambitions, and the defender made 36 appearances in the 2015-16 campaign as Karanka's men finished second in the Championship behind champions Burnley.

While Boro were much less prolific than their promotion rivals, their success under Karanka was built on an incredibly solid defensive foundation, and they conceded just 31 league goals all season, keeping a remarkable 22 clean sheets, including a run of 10 consecutive shut-outs between November and January.

Unfortunately for Boro, their time in the top flight proved to be a disaster as they suffered relegation after just one year in the division, but despite the struggles of those around him, Gibson continued to impress on an individual level, and he earned his first call-up to the England squad in March 2017, although he never made a senior appearance for the Three Lions.

Gibson was linked with the likes of Stoke City, Chelsea and Southampton following relegation, but Boro's reported £25 million asking price seemed to deter his suitors from making a move, and he surprisingly remained with the club in the Championship.

However, after Boro missed out on promotion as they were beaten by Aston Villa in the play-off semi-finals in the 2017-18 season, they were no longer able to delay the inevitable, and Gibson secured his move back to the Premier League with Burnley.

Middlesbrough's decision to sell Ben Gibson was a masterstroke

It initially looked as though Gibson would be a huge loss for Middlesbrough, and the fact that Burnley decided to pay a joint club-record fee of £15 million for the defender was an indication of just how highly he was rated at the time.

However, Gibson's time at Turf Moor quickly turned sour as he struggled to break up the Clarets' established centre-back pairing of James Tarkowski and Ben Mee, and after a fall-out with manager Sean Dyche, he was allowed to return to train with Boro in February 2020.

Gibson made a loan move to Norwich City in September 2020, and after helping the Canaries to the Championship title in the 2020-21 season, the deal was made permanent for a fee of £8 million the following summer.

That marked the end of Gibson's nightmare spell at Burnley, during which he made just six appearances, and reflecting on his spell in Lancashire, the 32-year-old admitted that "from the beginning it was a disaster", although he insisted he had no regrets.

Gibson did manage to rebuild some of his reputation at Carrow Road, and he went on to make 124 appearances for the club, but in truth, Norwich supporters were never fully convinced by him, and he was released at the end of his contract in the summer.

Stoke City became Gibson's next destination when he made the switch to the bet365 Stadium on a free transfer in June, and it looked as though his fortunes were finally improving when he was named as the Potters' new club captain after his arrival.

However, after an underwhelming start to his time at the club, Gibson is facing a fight to regain his place in the team under new manager Mark Robins, and as his career continues to stall, Boro will certainly feel that, in hindsight, they were the real winners of his big money move to Burnley.