Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White has been told to “sue” the Premier League club for trying to block his move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs have looked to make a statement this summer as they pursued a double deal worth around £115m for Gibbs-White and Mohammed Kudus.
Gibbs-White looked set to follow Kudus in joining Spurs after the Big Six outfit activated his £60m release clause, but this deal suddenly collapsed after Forest accused their rivals of making an ‘illegal approach’ for the England international.
This was a significant blow for Tottenham and it remains to be seen whether this deal can be rekindled after Gibbs-White was one of the Premier League’s standout performers in 2024/25, grabbing seven goals and ten assists in all competitions.
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Earlier this week, a report from Football Insider claimed Gibbs-White to Spurs is ‘very likely’ to still ‘happen‘ as his ‘willingness’ and Forest’s lack of ‘legal standing’ are mooted as key factors.
The report explained:
‘The deal was dramatically halted when Forest reported Tottenham to the Premier League for allegedly ‘tapping up’ their player. Despite the controversy, sources say that the move will be finalised by the end of the transfer window.
‘The Nottingham-based side’s complaints about the way Spurs have approached their midfielder are expected to hold up the deal. As the release clause has been triggered though, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have very little legal standing to prevent the deal going through.’
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Now, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara has urged Gibbs-White to “sue” Forest and “refuse to train” amid this “disgusting situation”.
“Morgan Gibbs-White should go to the PFA, he should sue Nottingham Forest, and he should refuse to train,” O’Hara told Grosvenor Sport. “I think Forest are a disgrace, the way they have dealt with the situation is disgusting.
“He has signed a contract and there’s a release clause of 60 million pounds in there. He knows it’s in there, his agent knows it’s in there and Nottingham Forest know that it’s in there.
“He has agreed to that contract on those terms, whether he has become a better player at Forest that is worth more than 60 million, that’s on him.
“Now when someone finds out about the release clause, which happens every day in football, people find stuff out and agents talk, Nottingham Forest suddenly decide they can’t have that, and the clause is confidential. What do you mean confidential? It’s a release clause in a player’s contract; he’s entitled to know about it and tell people about it. What is going on here?
“Evangelos Marinakis has had an absolute stinker and his club are going to lose Morgan Gibbs-White for 60 million because he’s done better than they expected and someone found out.
“It’s a disgrace. A player can tell who he wants about his contract, he’s earned it, and they were all happy to sign it at the time. Now suddenly it’s illegal, what on earth are they on about? It’s disgusting.”