Kieran Gibbs was sent off against Everton as West Brom were thrashed at Goodison Park on Saturday 19 September.
Kieran Gibbs saw red when James Rodriguez left a little bit on him, raising his hands and shoving the Colombian to the ground.
Mike Dean didn’t have much choice but to show Gibbo a red card shortly before the break but, knowing that wasn’t controversial enough to get him the desired airtime, Dean also sent off Slavan Bilic for complaining.
It was very out of character for Gibbs who only had one red card in his career before Saturday. That previous red card was the one he got when Andre Marriner mistook him for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and sent him off after 15 minutes for the Ox’s deliberate handball against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
https://twitter.com/OllieRFC_/status/1307296982973718529
In fact, Gibbs only has 29 yellows in 327 games which should give you an idea of how level-headed he usually is. No doubt, we will hear if there was another reason for his unusual behaviour.
West Brom lost the game 5-2 (it was 2-1 when Gibbs was sent off) as Everton looked not only impressive but fun.
Dominic Calvert Lewin grabbed a hattrick while James Rodriguez got a goal and an assist (and Gibbs sent off).
Gibbs will now serve a three-game suspension which will include the Baggies game against Chelsea at the Hawthornes.
Wenger admits losing Gibbs hurt more than Oxlade-Chamberlain
From the archive: 2/09/17
Arsene Wenger admits that losing Kieran Gibbs to West Brom hurt more than losing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool… ouch.
Wenger claimed that losing Gibbs hurt more than the Ox signing for Liverpool because Gibbs had been at the club since the age of 14.
“Yes [it hurts when such players leave] because ideally you want stability and you want players who carry the values through the generation,” Wenger said. “It’s true that Gibbs [hurt] more than Chamberlain, because Gibbs has been educated here from the age of [14].
“When he arrived he was a left winger. I transformed him into a full-back because he was not necessarily rated as a guy who would make it as a left-winger. But I saw something in him — intelligence, pace — that that made me feel that he could make it as a left-back.”
When asked whether letting Gibbs go felt like losing a family member, the then-Arsenal boss replied, “Of course. And I believe that for (players that leave) it must be difficult to make that step as well.
“He did not ask to leave, it was a mutual decision. He wanted to play – he’s 27, or 28. You want to play at that age.
“It was a difficult decision but on the other hand when a guy has given you so many years you have to accept that if he is not sure to play.
“It is a fact that we have got Kolasinac, you cannot keep three left-backs (along with Nacho Monreal).”
Gibbs signed for West Brom at the end of the 2017 summer transfer window for a reported £7m.
Both the Baggies and Watford were interested in signing the 27-year-old but there were allegedly issues with his wages demands, which saw the Hornets back out of any deal.
While Wenger claimed that Gibbs leaving hurt more, I find this hard to believe. Although he was educated at Arsenal for 13 years, he struggled for game time, only making 11 Premier League appearances in his final year.
The Ox, on the other hand, was a Gunner for six years, over 500 days of which he spent sidelined through injury. Wenger took a chance on him, signing him as a teenager for £15m from Southampton – a large amount for such a young player in 2011.
The Ox then seemingly forced a move away to Liverpool.
The public explanation for the move was that he wanted to play in his preferred central midfield position. However, the 24-year-old spent a lot of column inches describing his love of Jurgen Klopp and the bond the German has with his players, which heavily implies that Wenger doesn’t have that with his.