Ben Gibson joins Burnley on four-year deal from Middlesbrough
Gibson becomes Sean Dyche's first summer signing for £15m
Sunday 5 August 2018 15:18, UK
Ben Gibson has joined Burnley on a four-year deal from Middlesbrough for a joint club record fee.
The 25-year-old moves to the Clarets for £15m, matching the fee paid for Chris Wood last summer, and becomes the club's first signing of the summer transfer window.
Gibson underwent a medical on Saturday and returns to the Premier League after being an ever-present during his first experience of England's top flight during the 2016-17 season.
"I'm absolutely delighted. It's a big step for me. I've played for Middlesbrough for 15 years since I was a boy so it's a huge step and one I'm really, really excited about," Gibson told the club's official website.
The defender made 50 appearances last season in all competitions as Middlesbrough missed out on an immediate return to the Premier League with defeat in the play-offs.
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During Gibson's time at the Riverside, he was called into the England squad on three occasions, but is yet to play for the senior side.
Gibson will provide added competition in Sean Dyche's squad alongside fellow centre-backs James Tarkowski, Ben Mee and Kevin Long while he could feature in the Europa League after the Clarets' impressive seventh-place finish last season.
Burnley defeated Aberdeen in extra-time to reach the third qualifying round and will next play Istanbul Basaksehir while they will face Southampton in their Premier League opener next Sunday.
"The measure of a fantastic team is not to do something once, but to repeat that time and time again," Gibson added.
"I know that's what Sir Alex Ferguson said about Manchester United. Sean Dyche and the team and everyone here did such a fantastic job last year in finishing seventh and qualifying for the Europa League.
"Let's hope this is a real, real good chapter in Burnley's history and this is just the start of things to come."
