Ashley Young has questioned why Nottingham Forest inserted a release clause in Morgan Gibbs-White’s contract in the first place if they did not want the midfielder’s agent to reveal it to Tottenham.
Nottingham Forest have launched a legal challenge against Tottenham after it emerged that Spurs had activated Gibbs-White’s £60million release clause.
While various sources indicate that Tottenham still expect to complete the signing of Gibbs-White, the Midlands club’s actions have halted the deal for the time being, complicating matters for Daniel Levy and the North Londoners.
As we await to find out what happens with this deal, Gibbs-White has started pre-season training with Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.
Ashley Young questions why Nottingham Forest inserted a release clause
According to reports, Forest are questioning how Tottenham got to know of Gibbs-White’s confidential release clause when they did not give Thomas Frank’s side permission to speak to the midfielder.
However, Ashley Young has now questioned the idea of keeping a release clause confidential, insisting that agents and players are always going to let other parties know of such clauses.
When asked about Forest legally challenging Spurs regarding the clause, the former Aston Villa and Man United man told Sky Sports News: “You think to yourself about Nottingham Forest – they’ve put that release clause in there.
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“Is it written in the contract that they say: ‘Nobody’s to know’? Well, the player knows that, his agent knows that… surely you’re gonna let people know about it. Or, if you don’t want him to leave, then don’t put it in there.
“Obviously, Tottenham have found out about the release clause, and like you say, Gibbs-White has probably gone down to Tottenham Hotspur and been told that they’ve activated his release clause. So, he’s gonna be thinking: ‘Right, that’s it. I’m going now.’
“And, obviously, something’s happened where Nottingham Forest are not happy about it. But, like I said, if they weren’t that happy about it, they wouldn’t have put the release clause in there.”
Tottenham told they would have to pay more than £60m for Morgan Gibbs-White
According to one super agent, Tottenham may have to pay more than £60m to get Gibbs-White after Nottingham Forest’s legal challenge.
However, he also asserted that it would be very difficult for the Midlands club to prove that Spurs spoke directly to the attacking midfielder.