Nottingham Forest News, Transfers, Opinion & Match Reports

Morgan Gibbs-White’s move away from Nottingham Forest gets more complicated by the day, but one sports lawyer has given his take on whether Tottenham will eventually get their man.

Evangelos Marinakis was furious about the Gibbs-White situation as the midfielder’s £60m release clause put the club in a difficult position. Still, Forest have disputed the legality of how Spurs have approached the deal.

As the issues continue between the clubs, Forest fans want to see Gibbs-White leave after it was revealed that the 25-year-old had refused to enter contract negotiations with the club, keeping the release clause in play.

Gibbs-White is back training at Forest for now, but perhaps not for long, as one top sports lawyer has weighed in on how he feels the saga will end.

Sports lawyer rates Morgan Gibbs-White to Tottenham chances

Finance expert Stefan Borson suggested that Spurs could pay over the release clause to secure Gibbs-White, effectively settling the legal complaint.

Spurs have shown no sign of giving up on a deal for Gibbs-White, and according to sports lawyer Mo Pasricha, the North London club still have a solid chance of securing their man.

Pasricha told talkSPORT: “I suspect that it’s the disclosure of that sensitive information [release clause] that will determine who’s going to ultimately come out of that conversation successfully.

“My experience is that they’ll [Spurs] find a way usually to get this done, and I suspect that’s probably what we’ll end up with.”

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Nottingham Forest News revealed that Forest and Spurs sources expect Gibbs-White to move, despite the noises from Marinakis suggesting that the 25-year-old isn’t for sale.

The Nottingham Forest squad expected Gibbs-White to leave

Long before the Spurs saga, Gibbs-White was heavily linked with Manchester City at the end of the 24/25 season.

So much so that the Forest squad expected to lose Gibbs-White to City, at least removing any shock should the move to Spurs go through.

In the opening pre-season fixture against Chesterfield, Nuno Espírito Santo set up with a more traditional 4-3-3 system to acclimatise to life without Gibbs-White in what was perhaps the plan all along, especially given that the attacking midfielder has shown no interest in remaining at the club.

There seems little reason to keep Gibbs-White at the club this summer after recent events, suggesting that Pasricha’s take on the Spurs deal going through is the best for all involved.

Nottingham Forest are trying to prevent Morgan Gibbs-White from leaving the club despite Tottenham Hotspur activating his £60m release clause.

Forest believe Tottenham have illegally approached Gibbs-White and are therefore considering a complaint against the North Londoners.

There is still a belief that the England international will eventually complete a transfer, however, it’s not guaranteed.

Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett has explained that Nottingham Forest are ‘adamant’ the 25-year-old will remain at the City Ground.

Forest fans aren’t happy with Gibbs-White’s refusal to sign a new contract, though, as it’s emerged he wanted to keep his release clause.

Perhaps it’s best for all parties to end this saga so Forest, in particular, can spend their precious time finding a replacement.

It seems they’re making plans anyhow, as it’s coming to light that a Leicester City star is on their radar.

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Nottingham Forest considering bid for Leicester City star Bilal El Khannouss

Nottingham Forest are considering a bid for Leicester City playmaker Bilal El Khannouss, who is expected to leave the Foxes following relegation to the Championship.

Pete O’Rourke explains that El Khannouss is being eyed as a potential successor to Gibbs-White after an impressive individual season.

Despite operating in a struggling side, the 21-year-old managed to create a whopping 42 chances in the Premier League (per FotMob), so he was worth well more than his three assists.

Leicester value El Khannouss at around £40m, but given their need to raise funds, Forest may be able to land his signature for less than that figure.

El Khannouss also tries the progressive pass

El Khannouss’ former Genk coach Michel Ribeiro spoke to Sky Sports earlier this year and heaped praise on his former youngster.

“He never has a problem to play under pressure. He never hides,” Ribeiro explained.

“They were important traits as a teenager at Genk; they are even more important now, in the context of a relegation battle at Leicester. He is not afraid to take risks and he almost always plays forward.

“He finds spaces between the lines and sees the game very fast.”

That’s exactly the same traits Gibbs-White boasts, so the Morocco international would be an ideal replacement.

Just a normal day at Nottingham Forest Football Club is what the loyal fan base is currently craving.

On Thursday evening, it was claimed that Morgan Gibbs-White was tantalisingly close to a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Daniel Taylor claimed that Gibbs-White would be heading to North London to link up with Thomas Frank, who is a huge fan of the player.

However, in true Forest style, there was a twist to come on Friday morning.

Rob Dorsett from Sky Sports claimed that Tottenham had illegally approached Gibbs-White, with Evangelos Marinakis carefully considering his next move.

Anthony Elanga has already been sold to Newcastle this month and Forest fans are now desperately hoping for some good news to come from the transfer window.

What Nottingham Forest have done with Morgan Gibbs-White

It would appear that things aren’t quite as close as reports have made out, with Gibbs-White this morning arriving at training on Trentside.

The 25-year-old has reported back to training after his extended period of absence following the international matches that took place after last season had finished.

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Journalist Tom Barclay has now claimed that Forest have officially made their complaint against Tottenham and their approach for Gibbs-White.

It’s believed that the player has a release clause of £60 million, but it would appear there have been some issues, with Marinakis unhappy with the way things have panned out.

It’s not clear how this one will get resolved, although the writing does look to be on the wall for Gibbs-White as far as Forest are concerned.

Forest can’t let Gibbs-White situation become a saga

Hopefully, this one can be resolved as a matter of urgency and being frank, if Gibbs-White isn’t going to sign a new contract the club must cash in.

The idea from Marinakis’ point of view right now will be to try to squeeze more money or even a player out of Tottenham to smooth over their supposed illegal approach.

Gibbs-White has earned a big move away from Forest. Tottenham will be in the Champions League next season and although they finished 17th in the Premier League, the club will feel like a step up to him.

Forest have to get this sorted as a matter of real urgency and hopefully, things will become clearer in the coming days.

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.

Nottingham Forest were reeling over potentially losing Morgan Gibbs-White, but a shock update has left the deal with Tottenham Hotspur hanging in the balance.

Tottenham activated Gibbs-White’s £60m release clause on Thursday in a deal that caught the football world off guard, with the clause seemingly unknown until the news broke.

Since then, reports have suggested that Evangelos Marinakis is furious over the Gibbs-White situation, aiming his anger at his former recruitment team, who sanctioned the release clause back in 2022.

Nottingham Forest News understood that James McAtee was open to a move to Forest as Gibbs-White’s replacement, but a shock curveball has changed the situation completely.

Nottingham Forest consult lawyers as Morgan Gibbs-White to Tottenham hangs in the balance

Gibbs-White was due to have his medical at Tottenham on Friday, but the situation has been turned on its head as Forest now believe that Spurs’ approach for the midfielder was handled unlawfully.

According to Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports, the deal is currently off as it stands, with Forest disputing the legality of Spurs’ approach for Gibbs-White.

Given that it was a release clause that was triggered, it would seem that the deal would be as simple as Spurs paying the clause and beginning discussions with Gibbs-White, but Sky Sports are reporting that it is the disclosure of the clause itself that Marinakis has taken particular issue with.

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Nottingham Forest claim ‘breach of confidentiality’ surrounding Morgan Gibbs-White’s release clause

As previously mentioned, the £60m clause had not been reported on until Spurs’ bid, emphasised by the fact that Forest were asking for £100m for Gibbs-White when Manchester City were chasing his signature.

To this point, Sky Sports understands that the means by which Spurs were able to find out about this clause is what Forest have a particular issue with.

The report said: “Forest believe that there has also been a breach of confidentiality around his release clause because Tottenham’s bid was pitched at exactly that level.”

At the very least, the Gibbs-White deal is delayed as Forest prepare a complaint to send to the Premier League, but it remains unclear as to whether the club is able to block Spurs from signing the Englishman.

Nottingham Forest are about to lose Morgan Gibbs-White to Tottenham Hotspur.

Morgan Gibbs-White is close to joining Tottenham Hotspur after Thomas Frank’s side activated his £60m release clause.

Morgan Gibbs-White has already been authorised to have his medical, so it’s another big loss for Nottingham Forest after Anthony Elanga’s impending transfer to Newcastle United.

Forest fans have been very vocal about the Gibbs-White transfer on social media, with many sharing a similar opinion.

Nottingham Forest fans have a lot to say about Morgan Gibbs-White’s transfer to Tottenham Hotspur

Forest fans have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice their concerns with Elanga and now Gibbs-White departing the City Ground.

@ethanlamb01 posted: “The task we face in this summer window has just become a whole lot bigger than we originally expected. Gibbs-White: 7 goals, 8 assists. Elanga: 6 goals, 11 assists. Over £100m to work with, but a massive blow losing our 2nd & 3rd highest contributors from 2024/25.”

“Idk what we are thinking selling MGW. if we don’t spend big now on a proper replacement, call the European tour off because we will be in a relegation battle,” @Chazz904339211 admitted.

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“I genuinely don’t want Europa league, our team is getting ripped apart and think we might do ok in conference league but at this rate we will wil get battered in Europa,” @jordanleeming added.

“The worst thing about all this isn’t even the sales, it’s we’ve lost all power we had. We was 3rd in league 9 points clear of 5th with a few games to go and didn’t strengthen when we was in power. Now, we’ve weakened our hand further in negotiating for players,” @forest_mich commented.

@Craig74Nov said: “Murillo, Anderson, CHO and Milenkovic will all be asking questions… With how the last 48hrs have gone, I’d not even be surprised if Murillo went.”

“If Gibbs White knew he was going to Tottenham with talks happening last month the most honourable thing he could’ve done is tell the club so at least we may have kept Elanga,” @jgnffc noted.

Forest lining up James McAtee as Gibbs-White’s replacement

Forest already have plans in place to replace Gibbs-White, as for a while, it looked as though he could join Manchester City.

James McAtee has been earmarked as Gibbs-White’s replacement, and according to The Telegraph, they’re now ready to make a formal offer.

The 22-year-old is valued at around £25m, with Pep Guardiola deeming him surplus to requirements, having left him out of the Club World Cup squad this summer.

Brentford’s Yoane Wissa is also emerging as a potential addition, although his lofty £50m price tag may be off-putting.

Nottingham Forest are looking set to lose another of their top stars in Morgan Gibbs-White, with Tottenham advancing in their pursuit of the Englishman.

Gibbs-White to Tottenham is looking likely as Thomas Frank’s admiration for the midfielder has very quickly turned into serious interest.

It looked as if the midfield maestro would remain at the City Ground this summer after Manchester City chose other targets over Gibbs-White, but the hammer blow of Tottenham’s advances has seemingly put an end to that hope.

To make matters worse, unlike the negotiations for the Anthony Elanga sale, there look to be no stumbling blocks in the way of Tottenham’s pursuit.

Tottenham take major steps to secure Morgan Gibbs-White

It looked as if Forest would be able to demand a monumental fee for Gibbs-White after the Elanga sale removed any need to cash in, but reports are now suggesting that Evangelos Marinakis is powerless to resist Spurs’ bid.

According to The Telegraph, Spurs have discovered that Gibbs-White has a £60m release clause in his Forest contract, putting the power in Daniel Levy’s hands.

The report said: “Tottenham Hotspur are ready to trigger Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White’s £60 million release clause.

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“Telegraph Sport understands that Tottenham are confident of agreeing a deal to sign the 25-year-old England international after it emerged he has a clause written into the contract he signed in August 2022.

“[…] Talks are ongoing between the two clubs, but Tottenham do not anticipate any issues.”

A sucker-punch for Nuno Espírito Santo in particular, the deal will continue to advance at pace as a key next step in Gibbs-White’s exit is already in place.

Gibbs-White will have his Tottenham medical on Friday

With a release clause involved, it removes the majority of the complications involved in a transfer and allows a club to advance quickly to dealing with the player.

This has clearly benefited Tottenham, as they have already booked Gibbs-White’s medical as the transfer nears official confirmation.

Given that Gibbs-White showed no interest in entering contract talks, Forest had no hope of removing the release clause retrospectively, but must be rueing its presence in the original 2022 contract.

Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White is being heavily linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City were exploring a deal to sign Morgan Gibbs-White, but that move broke down with Pep Guardiola signing Tijjani Reijnders instead.

It looked as though Nottingham Forest were well-placed to retain Morgan Gibbs-White, however, that has suddenly changed.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has confirmed that Tottenham Hotspur are now trying to sign the England international.

His Athletic colleague Daniel Taylor has shared the likelihood of that transfer materialising.

The likelihood of Morgan Gibbs-White leaving Nottingham Forest to join Tottenham Hotspur

Nottingham Forest are set to bank £60m from Anthony Elanga’s sale, so clearly the club are on a strong footing PSR-wise.

Many had hoped Elanga would be the only big sale this summer, however, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

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Daniel Taylor has admitted Gibbs-White is ‘likely’ to join Tottenham Hotspur, so this deal is evidently moving at pace.

Sami Mokbel of the BBC has further claimed that official talks between the clubs are already underway, with a minimum £60m deal in the pipeline.

So it appears Forest have another big void to fill.

Nottingham Forest could turn to James McAtee

James McAtee has been mooted as Gibbs-White replacement for weeks and it very much looks like he’s the one Nuno Espirito Santo wants.

Pep Guardiola has already made it clear McAtee can leave Manchester City, with the club demanding around £25m to sanction his sale.

Everton are already in talks to land the 22-year-old’s signature, whilst Crystal Palace are circling, so there is strong competition.

McAtee netted seven times last term and was a star performer at the under-21 European Championships with England.

In fact, he captained Lee Carsley’s men to retain the title.

Nottingham Forest are already losing Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United, with Morgan Gibbs-White now linked with a switch to Tottenham Hotspur.

As the season ended, it seemed that Nuno Espírito Santo and Forest fans were in for a summer of rumours about Gibbs-White’s move to Manchester City.

However, City ended their interest in Gibbs-White and prioritised other targets instead, a relief to Forest that didn’t last long as Anthony Elanga agreed a £55m move to Newcastle to rob Nuno of at least one of his star attackers.

With Gibbs-White again attracting Champions League interest, Nottingham Forest News has spoken to transfer expert Graeme Bailey to understand how much it would take for the Reds to sell the English star.

Morgan Gibbs-White’s valuation amid Tottenham interest

Gibbs-White hasn’t entered contract talks with Forest yet, which, with two years left on his deal, will have sent alarm bells ringing at the City Ground.

David Ornstein has claimed that Spurs boss Thomas Frank is a “long-term admirer” of Gibbs-White, which will have accelerated their interest, but Bailey has revealed that it would take a monumental fee to see Forest’s creative star move to North London.

He said: “Selling Elanga wasn’t a necessity, but it’s huge profit and in turn it will mean that if someone comes in for Gibbs-White or Murillo this summer, they’re going to have to be paying £80-85m now.”

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Spurs are about to spend £55m on West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, so it would be a surprise to see them reach the £80m zone for Gibbs-White based on Daniel Levy’s previous spending habits.

If they do go all out for the Forest man, though, Edu already has potential replacements lined up for the central attacking midfield area.

Nottingham Forest have scouted Morgan Gibbs-White replacements

In terms of a like-for-like alternative to Gibbs-White, Forest have already identified Man City’s James McAtee as someone of interest.

McAtee would be available for £20m and while not playing at the level of Gibbs-White consistently yet, has shown glimpses of that quality while at City and captaining the England U21s.

Someone with more experience but in a very similar mould is Harvey Elliott, who has caught the eye of the Reds, given his situation at Liverpool.

Following Thomas Frank’s departure from Brentford, Nottingham Forest’s interest in two of the Bees’ star players remains.

Unfortunately, after tenuous links between Forest and Bryan Mbeumo, it looks as though the Cameroon international has opted for Manchester United.

Nevertheless, Nuno Espirito Santo still has his sights set on Yoane Wissa, with Forest reportedly sending a fresh bid for Wissa after falling short of signing the striker in January.

Frank’s move to Tottenham has seemingly complicated matters, however.

Tottenham join race for Yoane Wissa as Thomas Frank wants the striker with him in North London

According to a report by the Guardian, Frank has wasted no time in identifying the players he wants at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Wissa is among these, with the report stating ‘that there have been internal discussions about a move for [the striker]’.

The Guardian goes on to add that Nottingham Forest ‘remain interested in [Wissa], although Brentford are unlikely to sell the 28-year-old for less than £40m given they have an option to extend his contract, which expires next year, by a further 12 months.’

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Providing they deem £40m as a fair valuation, that fee should present no issues to the Reds.

Tottenham’s arrival on the scene does throw a rather large spanner in the works, however.

Presented with an opportunity to stay in London and play Champions League football under a manager he knows extremely well, compared with Europa Conference League football in a completely different part of the country, could very well turn Wissa’s head towards Spurs, leaving Forest to miss out on the striker once again.

Attention could turn to Dusan Vlahovic if Yoane Wissa bid fails

If Nottingham Forest do fall short in their pursuit of Wissa, there are other targets they can pursue.

Igor Jesus is one Forest appear to have sealed already, the Brazilian set to make the move to the City Ground once his Club World Cup commitments with Botafogo cease.

In recent days, Forest have also been linked with Dusan Vlahovic. While reportedly available for just £25m, the Serbian’s £190,000-a-week wage demands present a problem.

Indeed, Reds fans have expressed concern about Vlahovic’s wages, with others wanting Forest to push for Wissa instead.

Considering Tottenham’s pull to the striker with Frank at the helm, those fans might not get their wish. However, in Vlahovic, they have a target admired by multiple clubs in Europe.

As the summer window progresses, additional names and opportunities are likely to present themselves as well.