Lewis Gibson should be next Plymouth Argyle player to get contract extension

Argyle defender Lewis Gibson gets ready to make a block from Luton Town striker Elijah Adebayo during the Championship match at Home Park on Friday, September 27, 2024 - Photo: Stan Kasala/PPAUK
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


There was a deserved contract extension for Plymouth Argyle captain Joe Edwards earlier this month. Now they should be looking to tie up a new deal for another of their key players.

Defender Lewis Gibson has put in some excellent performances for the Pilgrims at the start of this season, just as he did for them throughout an eventful and at times turbulent 2023/24 Championship campaign when the phrase 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going' very much applied to him.

Gibson has just been so consistent and rarely puts a foot wrong ever since he joined Argyle in July 2023 after rejecting the chance to sign a new contract at Premier League club Everton because he wanted regular first team football.

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Part of the England team which won the Under-17 World Cup in 2017, Gibson had not broken through at Everton and instead had loan spells at Fleetwood Town, Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol Rovers.

At the time of his move to Argyle, no mention was made by the Home Park club of the length of contract Gibson had signed with them but is likely to have been either for two years plus a 12-month option or for three seasons, which would take him through until the summer of 2026.

Regardless of when his current deal runs until, what is clear is he has become one of their best players and at the still relatively young age of 24 he is also a very valuable asset. He is a left-footed, English central defender who has proven in 48 Championship appearances for the Pilgrims that he is more than good enough for this level, and potentially could be back at a Premier League club in the future.

Therefore, in my opinion, Argyle should be looking to the business side of football and getting him on an extended contract so that should anyone come in for Gibson in the future they would have to pay a substantial fee, while rewarding him now for his consistently good performances for them.

That would also send out a clear indication the Pilgrims have ambitions to keep improving and establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the fiercely competitive world of the Championship, and not just look to survive in it.

Gibson produced an outstanding display in the exciting 3-1 victory over Luton Town at Home Park last Friday night and not only the Green Army but also those football fans watching live on Sky Sports must have been impressed with him.

He seems to have the uncanny knack - perhaps, more accurately, it is the ability to read the play and sense danger - of being in the right place at the right time to block shots, make important tackles, or head the ball clear out of his own penalty area.

Gibson has yet to score a goal for Argyle since joining them but if that is the only slight fault you can find with him then that speaks volumes for the high level he has played at.

He is also in the early days of developing what looks like a very promising centre-back partnership with 22-year-old Kornel Szucs, who has made a good start to his Pilgrims' career after moving from Hungarian club Kecskemeti at the start of August.

Gibson is naturally left-footed while Szucs is right-footed. Both have the ideal combination of strength and height but also mobility and quickness. At their respective ages, there should be plenty of room for improvement from them too.

Earlier this month, Wayne Rooney's Argyle assistant head coach Pete Shuttleworth spoke glowingly about Gibson. He said: "Lewis had a good season last year and everyone told us that when we came in. I have seen Lewis around the league for a few years but he's a much better player than even people explained to us."

The reality of the situation is that Argyle are always likely to have their best players being tracked by higher level clubs, whether that is at the top end of the Championship or in the Premier League. In one way that is a good thing because it means they will have been playing very well.

That is why it is important they protect their valued assets as best they can, as well as keeping the players happy and contented, and contract extensions when they are merited can do that. In Gibson's case it certainly is warranted.

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