Crewe Alex sign Jordan Gibson - 7 Thoughts

Nice, signing through the door and the World Cup hasn't even started yet. I'll definitely take that. The Alex today signed winger/attacker Jordan Gibson, making him their first addition for the 26-27 season. There is a lot to unpack with this signing, so let's get into it:

Attacking Competition Strong

Gibson from memory is a winger. Fotmob puts him down as a left winger who can also play a bit on the right and occasionally go up front. But assuming he primarily lines up on the left, that gives them a healthy and balanced set of attacking options out wide. He will surely be competing with Calum Agius for the left wing and they could split game time going forward. He won't have been signed to sit on the bench, that's for sure. In addition to those 2, they have Lankester, Tabiner and Holicek all capable of playing across the attacking 3 behind the lone striker. This signing presumably means they are done in the winger/attacking midfield area, as there simply isn't room for more additions.

Young Lads on Notice

By bringing in the more experienced Gibson, it has put Agius and, to a lesser extent, Tabiner and Holicek, on notice. Agius had a free run on the left wing spot last season due to a lack of proper competition, but that shouldn't be the case this time around. He's going to have to improve his all round game to force Gibson out, and vice versa to be fair. Where also do Tabiner, Holicek and Lankester fit when it comes to trying to formulate a starting XI I wonder?

Experienced & Proven

One thing Gibson definitely brings is experience. He's 28 and has appeared over 300 times already in his career. Over the last 5 seasons with Carlisle and Doncaster, he's appeared in 39 games or more. That shows that multiple managers have seen his value and feel he's worth giving lots of game time to. I'm sure that's what Lee Bell also saw and why he moved quickly to bring Gibson in.

Gibson is also a proven contributor for goals and assists. Whilst he's never been truly prolific and that speaks to perhaps a slight lack of consistency, he's managed 8 or more goals and assists in each of the 4 seasons between 2021 and 2025. That's a decent level, so he looks like a solid addition at worst.

Rotation Option

One slight detraction on Gibson is that whilst he's made regular appearances, a third of them have been from the bench. Across the last 5 seasons, he's made 206 appearances, but only 139 of them have been starts. That says to me that whilst he's going to be in the squad most weeks, expecting him to be a week in, week out starter might be too optimistic. There might be spells where he comes on from the bench. There is nothing wrong with that mind.

Durable

One thing that stands out is his durability. As I've already alluded to, he's missed 24 games across the last 5 seasons. That's an incredible fitness record. Of course, the obvious caveat is that Jack Lankester was durable as Cambridge before he joined the Alex and he hasn't been able to stay fit for 2 seasons. So I hope this doesn't jinx Gibson. But touch wood, he should be a reliable option that you can count on being available and in the squad for the vast majority of games.

Long Term Investment

It's fascinating to see the Alex hand Gibson a 3 year contract, with the option of another year on top of that. That makes him the longest contracted player on the team by a long

distance. He won't be out of contract now until 2029, when he's 31 years old. It speaks to the long term investment they've made on him. Contracts this length can go 2 ways. If he repays the faith shown in him by Bell and takes off, they'll have a highly productive player tied down long term. However, as we know, things change quickly in football and the Alex have been burned by being too generous with their deals before.

If he doesn't settle at the Alex and falls out of favour, then they will be saddled with a player they don't want and will struggle to move on, as they might be finding out this summer with Dion Rankine, another winger they went too high on and are now stuck with.

Promotion Winner

What stands out the most about Gibson is that he's been part of 2 promotion winning teams with Carlisle and Doncaster. Hopefully the winning mentality needed to succeed at both clubs is something he can bring with him. He'll be joining up with fellow Brummies in Josh March and Reece Hutchinson, plus reuniting with Ian Lawlor. That should allow him to really settle in and show his best side.

Conclusion

Ultimately, when looking at all the information and numbers regarding Gibson, whilst I'm a little nervous at his deal length, I really like this signing. He won't be a week in week out starter and he'll have stretches where he frustrates and struggles to produce, hence why he's back in L2 at 28. But he should at the very least add decent competition and give the Alex a nice range of attacking options from which to support the striker. He adds a level of proven quality, but not one that should see the likes of Agius or Holicek struggle to break into the team.

It's a pleasing first signing and if this is the calibre of player we can expect in other spots where they are more pressing needs, then we can really go into the 26-27 season with optimism.