Tottenham Hotspur fans thought they were getting Morgan Gibbs-White about a week ago, but Nottingham Forest have thrown a tantrum, even threatening legal action against Spurs. Although most serious journalists do not take Forest's threats seriously and believe that MGW will eventually make his way to Spurs, enough time has passed without any word of a transfer happening that Spurs fans have to be a bit concerned.
Gibbs-White is still making appearances for Nottingham Forest in friendly matches, which has increased Tottenham supporters' fears that Daniel Levy and Co. may blow this deal because of a lack of urgency, Forest's own petulance, and a Premier League governing body that simply doesn't care about fairness; Tottenham paid a release clause for a player who wanted to join them, after all.
Now, a new report from veteran journalist Neil Goulding for Sports Boom sheds more glim details on the transfer. Tottenham are at risk of getting their deal for Gibbs-White hijacked by an ambitious Manchester City, who have reportedly been eyeing the 25-year-old No. 10 as their own signing.
Hearkening to earlier reporting of a potential swap deal between Forest and Man City, Goulding and Sports Boom report that Manchester City are ready to enter the transfer battle for Gibbs-White formally with the proposed swap deal involving Gibbs-White and young City talent James McAtee being very much on the table.
Tottenham could lose two targets in one
These transfer rumors involving Man City, McAtee, and MGW come from sources a tier below the likes of Fabrizio Romano and the most reliable journalists in English football, so they must be taken with a grain of salt.
But it's still troubling that there are now multiple reports making this claim, in conjunction with the obvious reality that a transfer has not been completed between Tottenham and Nottingham Forest for Gibbs-White to this point.
Man City and Forest are probably the two clubs in the Premier League with the worst reputations from a sportsmanship vantage point, so it would not be entirely surprising for them to pull a stunt like this that leaves both of them with the players they want and Tottenham holding the bag.
Worse yet, if Gibbs-White weren't to join Spurs in a vacuum, you'd think that McAtee would be one of the first targets they'd look at in the attacking midfield as an understudy for long-time Premier League star James Maddison, so Spurs fans won't like the sound of this report at all, even if it's a little hard to believe at face value. The most likely outcome remains Gibbs-White going to Tottenham, but there's enough to give even the most optimistic Lilywhite supporter pause.