Morgan Gibbs-White’s Nottingham Forest future has been thrown into question after a legal complaint about Tottenham’s approach for the midfield star.
With his medical set for Friday, Forest have disputed Spurs’ approach for Gibbs-White, accusing the North London club of a breach of confidentiality surrounding the release clause.
Gibbs-White’s £60m release clause came as a shock to the footballing world, with Spurs triggering it weeks after Forest demanded significantly more from Manchester City.
The deal is said to be delayed as communications between the two teams break down. To get the latest on the remarkable situation, Nottingham Forest News has spoken to transfer expert Graeme Bailey as Forest fans await news on their star midfielder’s future.
The likelihood of Morgan Gibbs-White’s Tottenham move collapsing
Marinakis is said to be furious with his former recruitment team for allowing such a low release clause to be inserted into Gibbs-White’s contract back in 2022, leaving the club in an uncomfortable position even without the legal complaint aspect.
Bailey has exclusively revealed to Nottingham Forest News that the furious reaction has been felt club-wide at the Gibbs-White situation. However, sources from both sides of the deal admit that the transfer is still set to go through despite the complaint.
With Forest preparing their complaint to be sent to the Premier League, it remains to be seen just how long that process is able to delay Spurs from progressing with the deal.
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Before this, there had been little indication that the North London club would have any issues with personal terms for Gibbs-White, so all attention is now on the Premier League. Meanwhile, Forest can continue to consider how to replace their number 10.
Nottingham Forest have a decision to make over replacing Morgan Gibbs-White
Naturally, Forest have already been linked with players that would be said to have a similar profile to Gibbs-White, with the likes of Harvey Elliott and James McAtee mentioned.
Nottingham Forest News understands that McAtee would be open to moving to Forest, but signing a natural attacking midfielder isn’t the only way to replace Gibbs-White.
Forest remain in talks to sign Yoane Wissa as well, with the addition of another striker giving Nuno Espírito Santo the option to potentially play two up front, bypassing Gibbs-White’s role entirely.
There would also be a case for a simpler 4-3-3 system, putting the onus on Elliot Anderson to get forward and support the front three.