View: Gibbs remains undervalued as he approaches West Brom exit
Kieran Gibbs will bring his West Brom career to a close at the end of the season, where he will go on to sign for Inter Miami in the MLS.
The 31-year old has been restricted to just 11 appearances for the Baggies this season, having fallen behind Conor Townsend in the pecking order at the Hawthorns.
Despite this though he will leave the Midlands as a player who was often under-appreciated, particularly given what he was willing to sacrifice for the club.
Gibbs joined West Brom in 2017 after falling out of favour at Arsenal, having been restricted to just 11 league appearances in his final season at the Emirates.
He moved to struggling West Brom in order to secure regular game time, although he couldn’t ultimately prevent the club from suffering relegation to the Championship.
However, despite being a defender with Champions League experience and international pedigree, he didn’t jump ship and return to the Premier League.
Persistent injury issues and a crisp £70,000-a-week contract would have made his stay simpler, but regardless he remained with Albion.
Gibbs enjoyed his best period as an Albion player during the 2018/19 season when the club narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League, but he once again remained with the club, helping them get promoted the following season.
The 10-cap England international has seen his form fluctuate over the past few years and his injury problems have wreaked havoc on his momentum, but he has remained a persistent player determined to bring West Brom back to the top flight.
In the short-term it doesn’t appear as though Albion are losing anything from Gibbs’ departure – if anything they’re gaining significant freedom with him off the wage bill.
However many players with his experience and history wouldn’t have stooped to play in the Championship, certainly not for two seasons, so at the very least he deserves credit for that.
In other West Brom news, Kevin Phillips expects this £7million-rated ace to quit the Albion in the summer.
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