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Gibbs Already on Premier League Radar as Town Offer New Deal
Wednesday, 13th Jan 2021 16:24

TWTD understands the Blues have offered midfielder Liam Gibbs a new contract with the youngster having already been noticed by Premier League clubs.

The 18-year-old made his first-team debut in 2019/20’s EFL Trophy tie at Colchester and played two more games in that competition this season before being handed his League One bow in November's 2-0 home defeat to Charlton.

Gibbs has been one of the outstanding performers in the U18s' FA Youth Cup run and we understand his displays have caught the eye of a number of Premier League sides who have subsequently been watching him on a regular basis.

The midfielder signed his first professional terms with the Blues on his 17th birthday in December 2019 and that deal is up at the end of the season.

However, we understand Town have now offered a new long-term deal which the Bury St Edmunds-born schemer is expected to sign.

Speaking about Gibbs last month, manager Paul Lambert said: “He’s a really good player, a really talented footballer.

“But as I’ve said before, I say it every time, he needs a little bit of time to develop and there’s no pressure.”

He added: “He’s really clever with the ball, he’s a really intelligent player. You only really need to tell him something once and he takes it in.

“That’s the sign of a good player, when they take it in first time then you know you’ve got a really good player on your hands. But again, without getting carried away, he has got a chance.”

Meanwhile, former Blues youngster Charlie Brown has moved to the MK Dons from Chelsea.

Brown, now 21, joined Town as an U10 but left for Chelsea in 2016 for a fee understood to be around £650,000 plus top-ups as he was about to start his scholarship having already broken into the U23s.

The frontman, the elder brother of current Blues youngster Zak, didn’t make a first-team appearance with Chelsea but last year spent time on loan with Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise - a pre-season opponent of Town’s in 2016 - where he made three senior appearances.

Town are understood not to have received anything as a result of the former Felixstowe Academy pupil’s move to the Dons.


Photo: Matchday Images



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midastouch added 16:36 - Jan 13
I could see Marcus Evans running out of patience with the Academy if the best talent continues to get plundered by Premier League sides for paltry compensation settlements.
5

snudge27 added 16:43 - Jan 13
Is this actual Premier League interest, or the kind that agents love to talk about when trying to force a better deal for their clients?
3

Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 16:55 - Jan 13
midastouch: I fear you are right. That would be the final blow as the Academy is about the last thing that most people still see as a positive aspect of the club.
1

Upthetown1970 added 16:59 - Jan 13
This is a player who I feel has a very good future in the game. This lad is raved about by everyone I know at the club. Hopefully the Club can nail him down to a long term deal. This lad is the best player in the academy in my opinion. Gutted to hear Premier League clubs are circling although I know before he signed his last deal Arsenal and Man Utd were very interested but he still signed a deal with us so hopefully he signs again. He would be a big loss.
4

casanovacrow added 17:01 - Jan 13
Much like outside football, governing bodies tend to put in rules that help those at the top under the illusion they were to help those at the bottom.
Urghh, I cringe at making a political point but it's how things are.
2

BeattiesBackPocket added 17:10 - Jan 13
As I said before on a previous similar thread been saying for ages this is why we cannot implement this regurgitated 5 point plan Evans is on about every year past 7 years as once they reach a certain age unless you're cat one they can be taken by cat one clubs for compensation. We've sold numerous kids the past few seasons to those in that category. In evans defence he cannot be blamed for these rules and players being swung by these clubs OR the fact we're not cat one as it is an elitist club and one we will never get into unless we go into the premier league and we have no way of stopping it what I DO blame evans for is not investing in cat one when he had the chance when it first started or lying or making claims towards his 5 point plan he knows damn well we cannot implement now as it's all too late.
5

casanovacrow added 17:21 - Jan 13
BeatiesBackPocket to a point I agree, but Cat 1 wouldn't be the savior, if you do a bit of digging you'll find a fair few of the smaller cat 1 academies having players tapped up by premier league cat 1 teams with very little consequence.
0

Ipswichbusiness added 17:23 - Jan 13
My guess is that had Charlie Brown stayed with us he would have had first team opportunities.

Instead he went to Chelsea. He must have improved his bank balance and no doubt received some very high quality coaching, but he was never going to break into the first team.

MK Dons have given him a second chance. He should be grateful.

The story is a warning to others.
9

FAcup78 added 17:28 - Jan 13
This young man is a very talented player. I've watched this player progress through our academy and I've been very excited by him. This young lad scores goals and creates lots of goals. I like him to Kevin de bruyne hes a real talent who we must keep hold of. I believe if we offer this lad the right deal he will stay with us. I also know Chelsea are monitoring him but would that be a good move after what has happened to the lad Brown.
1

BlueandTruesince82 added 17:30 - Jan 13
Well we are easy pickings now aren't we.... no ambition, no identity.... once was a time you came through our academy that said something..... now it just means you have been kept out of the team by a bunch of journeyman loans and a pair of 'wing backs' older than your dad.
4

ArnieM added 17:43 - Jan 13
That's another young talent going to be stolen from us then . What a soft f luckin touch of a club we have become. Such easy pickings for the PL clubs ( they all know we have talented young players ), and will be back time and time again to cherry pick our best and we'll get bugga all for them .
3

ChestnutSe added 17:54 - Jan 13
All premier league will have extensive scouting networks and everyone will know of every young player with potential. They will don't forget have lots of young players with potential already. Its good news that we have at least 2 who are deemed good enough to be on premier league clubs radar.

Lets hope we can get them signed up on decent length deals.

PL has shown with his selections that he is happy to play youngsters in the first team. The path to the first team and then perhaps earning a move to a bigger club is available for any youngster who is good enough. However, the package available at a premier league club even if you don't make it is also an attractive lure.

We can rest assured that ME will be doing all he can to retain our top young talent.
2

Linkboy13 added 17:58 - Jan 13
Yes very talented lad but it's all about nature taking it's course needs to put on a few pounds naturally. A lot of these boys that come to Ipswich get turned down by bigger clubs because they are deemed to be too small. It's no surprise that the boy Baggot is in demand not only is he talented but he's also very strong physically and i cannot understand why he's not involved in the first team squad at least this would give him some incentive to stay at the club.
3

Ericgates12 added 18:31 - Jan 13
This lad should be constantly around the first team certainly ahead of alot of our senior players. We need to show our best young talent they have a future at the club. This lad should definitely be around the first team match day squad regularly. Get him signed up now.
1

Pilgrimblue added 18:35 - Jan 13
I would say to any youngster be very careful. The moment they join a bigger club they'll be competing with lots of aspiring prospects. The chances are that they will follow Brown and maybe disappear. Better to wait and take their chances at Town, a club that cares.
3

BeattiesBackPocket added 18:56 - Jan 13
Casanovacrow course you'll get that but I'd rather be cat one and be able to pick from how many other clubs than cat two and have anyone picked from you. End of the day evans didn't want to invest in cat one originally and went for cat two now his plan involves getting talented kids into first team but the majority of talented kids go before getting anywhere near our first team and we've been selling kids last few years. It's not evans fault those rules are in place but it is that he didn't fight when it first started and invested then now he wants to invest in it to get cat one but look at the clubs in it it's elitist and most have been or are in the premier league singe these category's came out we will not get in it as a league one club. This is my issue with those who stick up for the guy he never invests when sensible to do so. We could rightly implement his 5 point plan if we were in cat one but we can't and that's been shown. Like he says he's like to invest in the team now but can't well that's too late again he should've done that when we were in the championship. Why people still think he does a good job as an owner is beyond me he lies, he promises what he knows he can't do, he's keeping a manager on despite calls for him to go from fans tells the fans because careful what you wish for' and that the club is improving. 🙄
1

Bluearmy_81 added 19:33 - Jan 13
BBP, re saying things are improving - he's either gaslighting fans in the full knowledge we aren't improving (which we very clearly aren't) or he is clueless and deluded. Both eventualities are depressing considering how important he is to ITFC
2

SheptonMalletBlue added 20:00 - Jan 13
He's a clown, that Charlie Brown!
0

stiff_talking added 20:45 - Jan 13
Need to go Category 1 and prevent this happening

1

TractorRoyNo1 added 21:40 - Jan 13
Other than short term money I wonder if young Brown has benefited from his "career" with Chelsea. The grass isn't always greener.
0

BartonBluee added 22:06 - Jan 13
If Charlie Brown, had stayed at Ipswich, with our relegation to league one he would have been lucky to still be in the football league. By going to Chelsea, he experienced things that he would have never of got at Ipswich. This includes loans into Europe, youth European competitions, training with Chelsea first team. A LOT more money than if he had been at Ipswich. He has now dropped down to League 1, which I imagine would have always been the plan anyway. So yes I think he has benefited from his youth development at Chelsea, and I hope he does well for MK Dons, good luck to him.
0

arc added 23:06 - Jan 13
With Brexit, we may see our academy gutted even more–the big clubs won't be able to bring in European youngsters in the same way they have been. And it may be completely impossible for us, so we can say goodbye to our lovely cosmopolitan generation that is coming through now.

Good grief, Charlie Brown! ;-) I wonder what happened to the lad who went to Man City the other year. Similar path, I suppose.
0

ParisBlue added 23:34 - Jan 13
So Charlie Brown spent 5 years at Chelsea, an improved bank balance and top notch coaching and ends up in League 1.

Whereas he could have stayed here and ended up in league 1.
0

tractorboybig added 07:44 - Jan 14
no brainer....we are a crap club selling potential young talent to exist, surely any championship or premier league club move is better. div 2 football next year if he stays
-1

Ericgates12 added 09:20 - Jan 14
Very interesting what Bryan Klug had to say about Liam Gibbs.

last year, Ipswich's academy manager Bryan Klug said of Gibbs: “He is a dream to work with, first and foremost. He is a really good lad who is only interested in being the best he can be and that really goes down well with everyone at the football club.

“For a first-year scholar to get some involvement with the first team is good. He has mostly been 23s. Again, physically we know he is going to develop into a really good athlete but you have to wait for those things to develop.

“He is a goalscorer and he is a goal creator. He has got a real talent and one thing now is this football club presents opportunities to people like that.

“He has got the talent, there is no doubt. He is one of the most talented people I have worked with.

“It is just really now staying fit, keeping clear of injury. And when he is 18/19 I would anticipate he would be really knocking on the door.

“He was not ready for even a loan last year but I would say he might be one of those boys that follow that route and we will just see how he comes back and starts training.

“I would not rule out anything for Liam. I think he has got the potential to be a top player.”

I believe the young players at our club that are held in such high regard should be given a real chance to shine in our first team instead of the has beens that are currently be played in front of them.
1


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