Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest are at odds over the Morgan Gibbs-White deal.
The North Londoners have been keen to strengthen their midfield this summer, and they have already signed Mohammed Kudus, who can play as a number 10.
Thomas Frank’s next target was Gibbs-White, a deal for whom seemed to be done after Tottenham agreed to trigger his £60 million release clause.
TBR confirmed that Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is furious about the Gibbs-White situation, and he has been considering legal action against Spurs.
What Tottenham privately feel about the Morgan Gibbs-White situation with Nottingham Forest
Even the most optimistic Tottenham fans were surprised when reports emerged that Spurs are ready to trigger Gibbs-White’s release clause.
The fact that it came right after Kudus was signed caught many off guard, and Daniel Levy agreeing to pay the full price of the clause instead of negotiating isn’t what anyone expected either.
All signs pointed towards Gibbs-White heading to Tottenham, but Nottingham Forest put a hold on the deal and reported the Europa League winners to the Premier League.
The Reds have accused Spurs of contacting the player without authorisation and going about the deal in a way that they deem was not appropriate.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the above, but he revealed that Spurs are adamant that they did nothing wrong and are still confident of signing Gibbs-White in the coming days.
He said in a video on his YouTube channel: “Nottingham Forest have started working on legal action against Tottenham for Morgan Gibbs-White.
“They believe that the way they used to proceed with the release clause was not the correct way, that they were not authorised to speak to the player. They were not happy at all at Nottingham Forest. They spoke to the Premier League about that. Now, the Premier League will investigate into this story.
“But, Tottenham maintain their position. They are convinced about their behaviour. They want to proceed with the deal, they want to sign the player. Nottingham Forest are prepared to fight. So, let’s see what’s going to happen there.
“But, for sure, the Morgan Gibbs-White deal now has an issue to be solved between the two clubs. That’s going to be one to watch in the coming days and hours, with Tottenham still hopeful and confident to get the player.”
Where should Morgan Gibbs-White play if he joins Tottenham?
There are a few fans who are confused about where Gibbs-White will play if he joins Tottenham.
The 25-year-old is incredibly versatile, but he is at his best when he starts in his natural attacking midfield role. He directly contributed to 16 goals in 32 games as a number 10 for Forest last season.
Jamie O’Hara thinks James Maddison will make way for Gibbs-White, and we think that would be the right decision at Spurs.
The Forest star is way more dynamic in that role, and we think Tottenham will become significantly stronger if Gibbs-White starts behind Dominic Solanke.
However, for this to happen, Spurs and Forest will need to reach an agreement first.