Everton’s young centre-back, and Newcastle target, Lewis Gibson may be sent out on loan in January, as his contract continues to run down, according to the Liverpool Echo.
It always felt like a mistake when Newcastle let the prospect leave for the Toffees two years ago, and bringing him back to Tyneside would make sense.
He was reluctant to go, but did so to advance his first-team opportunities, and felt that Everton was the most likely destination to achieve his ambitions.
It looked like he might do so, having featured heavily in the Everton first-team picture during pre-season. But it did not pan out like that, and he has so far been limited to just five under-23 appearances, and one for the under-21 side in the EFL Trophy.
His limited options have seen Newcastle linked with a move for him when his contract ends in the summer, something that may appeal to the lifelong Toon fan.
Having seen the emergence of the Longstaff brothers, he may consider Newcastle to have a better route to the senior side, something that could lure him home.
A loan deal for the defender in January could help him pick up extra experience in a first-team environment, and if he does return to Newcastle, that can benefit both us, and the player.
Everton may try to get him to sign new deal before loan move
The worry, of course, is that Everton dangle the lure of a loan spell in front of Gibson for the second half of the season, but make it contingent on him signing an extension to his current deal before sanctioning a move – like we did with Freddie Woodman.
The other concern is how much he may impress at a lower league side, with a good run of form seeing other clubs become interested in him, or even tempt Everton to give him a bigger role next season.
It is certainly worth keeping an eye on his situation during the winter transfer window, and seeing what develops for the youngster.
Newcastle must pull out all the stops to try to re-sign him in the summer, as he could yet end up being ‘the one they let get away’ in the coming years.
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