Gibson Appears Set For Goodison Park Arrival

**Update** Everton have now completed the signing of Gibson on a four and a half year deal - our first cash signing since summer deadline day 2009. For more info see the Everton official site.

Everton appears set to break their dry spell of purchasing players by landing midfielder from Darron Gibson from Manchester United. The 24-year old has fallen out of favor at Old Trafford and has been seen at Finch Farm all day today. The deal has not been announced, but is rumored to be anywhere from 1 million to 2.5 million pounds. One of the biggest benefits of the signing is it allows David Moyes to move Phil Neville back into defense given the large number of injuries we have sustained.

The signing has been met by a lot of anger on Twitter, but personally this seems to be a shrewd signing by Moyes. Although Gibson has not cracked United's starting lineup, he does have some talent, and given the low price is well worth the risk. At 24 he also adds some more youth to the squad, and will also prevent Moyes from the horrific combination of Neville and Hetinga in the central midfield. Plus maybe this means Billy is finally on his way out of the club, a guy can dream right.

Ideally it would be nice if Gibson could develop as a holding type midfielder who can distribute the ball. This would allow Rodwell or Fellaini to move forward in a more attacking role where both have shown promise. The other option would be for Fellaini or Rodwell to remain as a distributor of the ball from a deep position, and Gibson would be given free reign to move forward into the attack.

It will also be interesting to see if Moyes would try a formation with Gibson in the midfield, and Fellaini as the withdrawn striker given Tim Cahill's abysmal form over the past year. Fellaini did have some success when he first arrived at the club due to his aerial prowess. If Moyes puts him in a position to get on the end of Leighton Baines' crosses, it could generate more chances, and hopefully more goals for the club.

A final reason to like the move is that Gibson not only comes from a club that has a great level of talent and knows how to prepare for matches, he is also hungry. After not getting a great look at United, Gibson is likely to want to prove he did belong at United, and that can only benefit Everton in both production as well as potential resale value down the line.

Yes it is possible Gibson could flop, but the price is well worth the risk. Remember Billy has flopped and he cost us almost 10 million quid. Sometimes you have to take a chance and see what happens. Look for Gibson to get his first opportunity next weekend, although he may be eligible for Saturday's clash against Villa depending on when the paperwork is done.