In the end the transfer didn't happen, with some suggestion that the arrival of Jose Mourinho, and Arsene Wenger's complicated relationship with him, put paid to the deal. But the reason the Arsenal manager was willing to let Clichy go, even at that stage, was Kieran Gibbs.
As it turned out, Gibbs recurring injury problems meant it was probably the right thing for the club to hold on to Clichy, and even last season, after the Frenchman's departure, the young Englishman couldn't take advantage because of an ongoing stomach muscle problem. He shared duties with new signing Andre Santos and it was hard to see quite where either stood in the pecking order.
This season Arsene Wenger plumped for the Englishman ahead of the more cavalier Brazilian from the start and has been rewarded for it. While plaudits are rightly given to Carl Jenkinson for his improvement, and the spotlight shines on the creativity of Santi Cazorla and others at the top end of the pitch, Gibbs contribution has gone more or less unheralded.
There were concerns that he wasn't developing defensively as quickly as he should. A quite brilliant last-ditch tackle in injury time at West Brom on the final day of the season more or less assured Arsenal's Champions League qualification, but perhaps better positional sense might have rendered the challenge less desperate.
He has been aided, obviously, by a run of games and until he went off against West Ham with a thigh strain, had played every minute of every league game this season. It might be counter-intuitive to talk about his fitness in light of that, but he appears more physically robust, something Arsene Wenger recently noted.
"Gael Clichy had the same problem. He went through a long period of injury and after that he stabilised physically. That's what Kieran is doing at the moment. I am very happy with his performances because in every game he gets stronger."
It's not exactly rocket science to suggest a run of games will increase a player's confidence and performance level, but Gibbs appears to have become more disciplined in his defensive work. Although he's been given a licence to get forward and attack, he's rarely caught out of position the way he was previously.
In his seven league games (bearing in mind he came off early against West Ham), he has made an impressive 22 interceptions, hinting at a greater understanding of his position and is a testament to his quickness of the mark and reading of the game. He's also successfully made 21 tackles out of 27 attempted, quite an improvement for a player who has struggled with direct opponents at times.
We can, of course, chalk some of this down to experience. It's natural for players to improve as they get older and play more, but Gibbs has gone about it with a minimum of fuss and little or no fanfare. His England call up was well deserved and with Ashley Cole (31) hardly one for the future he can set his sights on plenty of England caps as well as a good scrap with Leighton Baines for the left-back position.
Arsene Wenger's faith in his footballing ability has been rewarded, and if his fitness continues to improve in the same way he should cement his position as first choice at Arsenal for seasons to come.
Source: Andrew Mangan, ESPN Soccernet on 10 Oct 12
Of course, we can put these into experience order assignment. For the players, with age and play more, it is very natural, but Gibbs has been with the least fuss and little or no big way to do.
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