TBR Football

Tottenham Hotspur are currently hoping to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest.

Morgan Gibbs-White was brilliant for Nottingham Forest last term, a key part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side who were able to qualify for European football.

However, if Gibbs-White gets his wish, he’ll be swapping the Europa League for a campaign in Europe’s top competition with Tottenham.

It’s an ambitious move by Spurs, and although Forest are furious about the Gibbs-White situation, there is seemingly sufficient confidence around Tottenham that a deal can be done.

And although the move might be delayed, Thomas Frank should have another exceptional midfield talent to work with in N17 next season.

James Maddison shouldn’t be happy with Tottenham’s Morgan Gibbs-White bid

That being said, Spurs do already have a wealth of talented attacking midfielders, and although James Maddison might be delighted to see Gibbs-White arrive on a personal level, he should be seriously worried when it comes to his own minutes.

As Gibbs-White proved at Forest last season, he’s able to operate in both a number eight and number 10 role effectively.

But the England international is undoubtedly best as a 10 when he’s playing in behind the striker — the exact role Maddison wants to claim as his own.

Ahead of the World Cup next summer, Maddison will want to play every minute he can for Spurs, he’ll be expecting to be a key player under Frank.

However, the arrival of Gibbs-White doesn’t bode well for the £40m midfielder at all.

And whilst Maddison and Gibbs-White might be good friends off the pitch, the former might soon become somewhat frustrated by the latter’s arrival.

Both can play in the same team, but considering how highly Frank reportedly rates Gibbs-White, it would seem unlikely for the 25-year-old to make the majority of his appearances out of position.

James Maddison could star at a club like Newcastle

Back in 2022 before Tottenham signed Maddison, Newcastle made more than one bid for the then Leicester City maverick.

Unfortunately for Eddie Howe, those attempts were ultimately unsuccessful, but it’s interesting to consider that Maddison would still be a key player at Newcastle today.

Newcastle were much better than Spurs domestically last season, and yet Maddison would still walk into Howe’s team, even if the same can’t be said at Tottenham.

That point highlights just how much attacking talent Frank will have at his disposal next season.

And considering that Spurs have also bought Kudus this summer as mentioned, it perhaps also demonstrates how unbalanced Frank’s squad is right now.

Levy’s side are showing a lot of ambition on the transfer front, but they are still crying out for more defensive presence in the middle.

Tottenham looked all set to sign Morgan Gibbs-White on Friday, but a hiccup has since emerged.

TBR Football understand Evangelos Marinakis is furious after details of a £60m release clause in the England international’s contract were made public, with the Nottingham Forest owner even considering legal action against Spurs, believing an illegal approach was made.

Now, a story from Football London has shared what Tottenham think will happen as their pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White takes a twist.

Tottenham remain confident over Morgan Gibbs-White deal

Alasdair Gold now states that Spurs believe Nottingham Forest will only succeed in delaying their pursuit of the 25-year-old rather than managing to collapse the move completely.

It is said that Nottingham Forest had no intention of losing both Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga this summer, having recently sold the latter to Newcastle in a £55m deal.

That is largely why Marinakis is digging his heels in over the Nottingham Forest No.10 as Tottenham circle, but those at Hotspur Way remain confident despite the hiccup in this deal.

Why Morgan Gibbs-White was nowhere to be seen as Nottingham Forest drew 0-0 against Chesterfield

Some Tottenham fans might have thought this deal was back on track after Nuno Espirito Santo left the £60m man out of his squad for Nottingham Forest’s pre-season friendly against Chesterfield, which finished 0-0.

However, Gibbs-White, who admires Mousa Dembele, was simply absent having been granted extended leave for his involvement with England in the middle of June.

That is also the reason why Eberechi Eze – a target for Arsenal – was absent as Crystal Palace recorded a 1-0 win over Millwall in their first friendly of the summer.

Nottingham Forest seem set to cause the Gibbs-White saga to drag on, which will surely frustrate Thomas Frank ahead of Tottenham’s own upcoming friendlies against Reading and Luton, matches the Dane would ideally like the attacking midfielder involved in to help him acclimatise at Spurs.

While that will frustrate fans, there remains confidence this deal will get done, so patience is needed.

Morgan Gibbs-White could soon be a Tottenham Hotspur player, and he could soon emulate two players he once seriously admired.

Tottenham have triggered Gibbs-White’s release clause, however, there appears to have been a key hold-up in the deal.

Nottingham Forest have tried to block Gibbs-White’s move, as there is an understanding that the £60m clause should not have been public knowledge.

TBR Football has exclusively revealed that Gibbs-White’s camp still expects him to join Tottenham, but at this stage, the move has been delayed.

If the 25-year-old does eventually make the switch to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he could follow in the footsteps of some of his footballing icons.

Morgan Gibbs-White raves about Mousa Dembele and Adel Taarabt

Morgan Gibbs-White has previously raved about Mousa Dembele and Adel Taarabt, both formerly of Tottenham Hotspur.

The England international was asked to blind rank Premier League players based on their ‘streets won’t forget’ status, which means stars who were perhaps deemed underappreciated at the time.

The Belgian is often spoken very highly of by his fellow teammates, with Kieran Trippier calling Dembele ‘underrated’, but the list goes on.

When asked about Dembele, Gibbs-White told Sports Bible: “Oh my god, phwoar… Round of applause for him. Number two.”

Meanwhile, Ledley King once claimed Taarabt might’ve been more talented than Bale, showing just how highly rated the Moroccan was viewed by his teammates.

The former Queens Park Rangers star was renowned for exceptional flair on the pitch, although he struggled to make the grade at Tottenham.

The former AC Milan and Benfica star’s best form came during his time in the Championship, a period in which he was one of the most talented players the division had ever seen.

Gibbs-White is a big fan of Taarabt, claiming: “Ah, incredible, yeah. King of the Championship. Sweet player 100 percent.”

Morgan Gibbs-White could emulate Mousa Dembele at Tottenham

Thomas Frank could have a different plan for the Forest captain in his team than what everyone is expecting currently.

Gibbs-White was often deployed as a number ten under Nuno Espirito Santo at Forest, but also as a number eight at times.

The 25-year-old’s ability to carry forward across the pitch and his strength to hold opposition players off can somewhat resemble Dembele.

Forest were so dangerous last season in transition, and Gibbs-White was often at the heart of this, picking up the ball from deep and driving into the opposition’s half.

The midfielder is best as a number ten, but he is so good when operating from deep, and Frank might look to utilise this by playing him in a double pivot.

Tottenham are turning attention towards signing a new central midfielder after bringing Mohammed Kudus to N17.

TBR Football understand Spurs are admirers of Adam Wharton – and would be ready to make a move for the England international if he is made available by Crystal Palace this summer.

The 21-year-old has made a huge impression on the Premier League since his £18m move from Blackburn Rovers in January 2024, helping Crystal Palace win the FA Cup last season with a terrific display in the final against Manchester City.

Now, some Tottenham fans have grown excited by the prospect of signing Adam Wharton after what the Crystal Palace No.20 said at the launch of a new home kit at Selhurst Park.

Adam Wharton’s response to whether he’ll be at Crystal Palace next season gets Tottenham fan talking

The Blackburn-born maestro spoke to Ollie Thomas on TikTok at the launch of the new Crystal Palace home shirt, where a comment right at the end of the video got Spurs supporters chatting on X (previously known as Twitter).

When Thomas said “looking forward to seeing you rocking this shirt this season” Wharton replied “hopefully” – a fairly non-committal remark in the eyes of Tottenham fans.

One said it was “crazy” to hear the Crystal Palace playmaker say such a thing at the launch of the new kit, which sparked a discussion amongst the Spurs fanbase.

Another made a comment about the body language of Wharton – who is a dream target for Thomas Frank – making the point that the midfielder had his head down when saying “hopefully”.

However, to us at least, he was simply just taking another look at the shirt.

A third Tottenham fan leapt to a conclusion on the basis of this short four-second footage, simply writing “oh he’s gone” after hearing the comment.

Others in the thread excitedly discussed the prospect of seeing Wharton pulling the strings alongside Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray in midfield, with Kudus and Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of him.

It won’t be an easy task by any means for Tottenham to prise Adam Wharton away from Crystal Palace

Where Gibbs-White is a realistic target given his £60m release clause, signing Wharton from Crystal Palace is an entirely different task for the north Londoners.

The Englishman has no fixed release clause in his contract, and that deal still has four years to run until it expires in July 2029.

Therefore, we can foresee Crystal Palace demanding a similar fee to the £105m West Ham demanded for Declan Rice before his move to Arsenal, if not the £115m Brighton managed to sell Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for.

Tottenham Hotspur’s move for Morgan Gibbs-White is currently in doubt, so TBR Football has looked at three alternative signings Daniel Levy could make instead.

The last few days in N17 have been rather dramatic with Mohammed Kudus signing and Tottenham triggering Gibbs-White’s release clause.

However, Nottingham Forest have tried to block Gibbs-White’s move with claims that the North London club shouldn’t have known about his £60m clause.

TBR Football understands that the player’s camp still expects him to join Spurs, but in case he doesn’t, here are three players they should turn to.

Xavi Simons could be the perfect Son Heung-min successor

Xavi Simons should be a player Tottenham Hotspur are strongly considering should their move for Morgan Gibbs-White collapse.

The Dutch international might actually be the perfect long-term replacement for Son Heung-min, whose future in North London remains in doubt.

As TBR Football revealed back in June, Son and Thomas Frank are set for talks to determine whether the 33-year-old should stay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Simons’ versatility could make him an ideal fit for Frank’s squad as he can operate off both the left wing and as a number ten.

The 22-year-old had a superb campaign last term as he netted 11 goals and got eight assists in all competitions.

The forward is eager to leave RB Leipzig this summer after they missed out on European football altogether, and the German club are open to a sale.

Tottenham should launch audacious Morgan Rogers move

Morgan Rogers could be a seriously audacious move from Tottenham, and he could be very tough to prise away from Villa Park.

The 22-year-old would be such a great alternative to Gibbs-White, as he can feature all the way across the front line.

The key issue here is that Rogers is valued at more than £100m by Villa, meaning that his asking price would need to drop for Spurs to stand a chance.

Although Spurs may see him as a top investment, and should certainly be asking the question about his future in the Midlands.

Thomas Frank rates Eberechi Eze highly

As reported by TBR Football, Frank likes Eberechi Eze, and he should certainly re-emerge on Spurs’ radar should Gibbs-White not arrive.

Previously, Son has praised Eze after the England international scored a ‘fantastic’ free-kick against Tottenham back in 2023.

The North London club have been chasing Eze for quite some time now, having also liked the attacker when he was at Queens Park Rangers.

Arsenal have also been lining up a move for the 27-year-old, so bringing him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could prove tricky.

The Crystal Palace forward enjoyed the most productive season of his career to date last term, as he netted 14 times and got 11 assists.

Tottenham will hope that the issues facing the Gibbs-White deal will get resolved, but those would be great alternatives should the deal collapse.

Fabio Paratici has started work on reducing the size of Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur squad, but one player they’re trying to sell wants to stay.

The North London club have suddenly sprung into action in the transfer market with Kota Takai and Mohammed Kudus being signed.

Tottenham remain confident in signing Morgan Gibbs-White, TBR Football understands, with the player’s camp not expecting Nottingham Forest to block the move.

However, there is also work to be done on outgoings, and one of the players Spurs are keen to sell is eager to remain in North London.

Yves Bissouma wants to stay at Tottenham

Yves Bissouma has decided that he wants to stay at Tottenham Hotspur, or at least the Premier League, this summer, according to Sacha Tavolieri.

Despite having plenty of interest from abroad, the Malian international wants to remain in England, and he has expressed this desire to the club.

Bissouma has been linked with Everton, and a move to Merseyside could be a strong option for the 28-year-old.

TBR Football recently revealed that Tottenham want to sell Bissouma during this summer transfer window, especially given the fact that he’s now entered the final year of his contract.

Fabio Paratici has offered the midfielder to Juventus, and the player is also attracting interest from clubs in Spain and Germany.

Fenerbahce are keen on Bissouma, as reported by TBR Football, and club officials have arrived in London to hold talks over a deal.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion star was excellent in the Europa League final for Tottenham, but overall, he’s struggled for consistency.

Douglas Luiz and Joao Palhinha are top Yves Bissouma replacements

If the Lilywhites can get a deal for Gibbs-White over the line, the next area they plan to target is the midfield.

Douglas Luiz would love to join Tottenham, TBR Football has learned, with the player hopeful of making a return to the Premier League.

Juventus are open to the possibility of selling him and have told the Brazilian to start work on finding a club that will take him.

Joao Palhinha is another player of interest to Spurs, and the Portuguese international is being considered as an option.

The 30-year-old had an underwhelming campaign at Bayern Munich and has struggled to work his way into Vincent Kompany’s plans.

Given Palhinha’s age and his form at the Allianz Arena, Spurs would be better off targeting Luiz, who was superb in the Premier League at Aston Villa.

Nottingham Forest have reported Tottenham Hotspur to the Premier League after taking issue with their move for Morgan Gibbs-White.

Spurs signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham this week, and almost immediately after sealing that deal, Daniel Levy decided to make a move for the Reds star.

However, as TBR Football confirmed, Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis was furious that Tottenham had found out about Gibbs-White’s release clause.

Forest have been considering legal action against Spurs since, and that has put the transfer on hold, for now.

What Tottenham may have to do to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest

It was a surprise to see Tottenham move so quickly to sign Morgan Gibbs-White.

Levy usually takes his time to negotiate the best deal possible, but reports claimed that Spurs were ready to trigger Gibbs-White’s £60 million release clause.

A move looked like it would be done earlier in the week, but Forest have, for the time being, put a stop to it by contacting the Premier League.

Now, super-agent Sky Andrew, who has been involved in many transfers over the years including the controversial Sol Campbell to Arsenal move, has had his say.

Speaking on talkSPORT, the agent revealed that for the deal to go through, Tottenham will probably have to pay more than Gibbs-White’s £60 million release clause.

He said: “Here’s the thing, guys, it’s very difficult to prove that a club went directly to a player without the permission of the club. We’re getting into all sorts of things here — phone records and everything.

“If it goes to arbitration, where it must go within the football rules and regulations, then Forest will have to prove that the club went directly to the player or to the agent. Most clubs know that it is very difficult to prove.

“So, this is a case now of how much will the buying club pay for the player. It won’t be £60 million, it will probably have to be more.”

How much money Nottingham Forest wanted for Morgan Gibbs-White before the transfer window opened

Nottingham Forest had a phenomenal 2024/25 season, and Gibbs-White was arguably their best player.

The Englishman directly contributed to 17 goals in the Premier League last term, and his performances caught the eye of several big clubs.

Seeing that, Forest slapped a £100 million price-tag on Gibbs-White, TBR Football exclusively revealed in April this year.

At the time, nobody outside the club was aware that Gibbs-White had a £60 million release clause in his contract.

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Espirito Santo has previously given Thomas Tuchel a warning, something that Thomas Frank hopefully will not have to reiterate.

Tottenham Hotspur looked set to acquire Morgan Gibbs-White in a deal from fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest, after Spurs triggered a release clause in the midfielder’s contract. However, a complaint from Forest has put the move in jeopardy.

TBR confirmed that Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is furious about the Gibbs-White situation, and he has been considering legal action against Spurs.

The deal, which would see Tottenham splash out £60m on Gibbs-White, currently has its complications, but there is still hope that Spurs can conclude a deal for the England international.

If Gibbs-White’s deal to north London is completed, Spurs boss Thomas Frank will be hoping that he will not have to send a stern warning to England boss and fellow German Thomas Tuchel about his prospects of playing for his national team.

What Nuno Espirito Santo said to Thomas Tuchel about Morgan Gibbs-White

Morgan Gibbs-White will be keen to join up with Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur this season as he looks to notch experience in the Champions League.

The move will have a significant benefit for Gibbs-White in terms of his likelihood of becoming a prominent member of the England squad as well.

It is often a case that we see players from the widely accepted “big six” given more chances in the England set-up, as Dom Solanke was after his move to Spurs from Bournemouth.

This proved to be a concern for Gibbs-White during his time at Nottingham Forest, leading to former Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo having to send a warning to Thomas Tuchel.

Last season, when speaking to Sky Sports, Espirito Santo said: “He [Morgan Gibbs-White] has been fantastic for us all season. He is such a talented player. I wish him to keep continuing because if the circumstances are normal, he will get back into the England squad for sure.”

Morgan Gibbs-White will be a crucial member of Thomas Frank’s Tottenham

After two brilliant seasons at Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur are without a doubt getting Morgan Gibbs-White for a steal. Providing that the Forest owner’s threats of legal action do not come to fruition, Spurs will be acquiring a player who has the potential to be worth a nine-figure fee.

As he showed under Nuno Espirito Santo, especially in Nottingham Forest’s highly successful 2024/25 Premier League season, Gibbs-White will be pivotal for Spurs in the No.10 role, where he can be given the freedom to create chances.

The sky is the limit for Gibbs-White when he joins Spurs. The midfielder is arguably being held back by Nottingham Forest due to the fact that he is not getting the recognition that he deserves from the England set-up, but once he signs for Tottenham and notched game time in the Champions League, he will soon become one of the first names on Thomas Tuchel’s teamsheet.

Tottenham Hotspur are making some big moves in the summer transfer window.

Spurs have completed the signing of Mohammed Kudus from West Ham after Daniel Levy personally spoke to David Sullivan to strike a deal.

Almost immediately after that, Spurs were ready to trigger Morgan Gibbs-White’s release clause, but that deal is delayed after Nottingham Forest reported Tottenham to the Premier League.

The North Londoners still want to sign the Englishman, and along with him, Thomas Frank is eyeing another big move.

Thomas Frank has told Daniel Levy to sign Adam Wharton for Tottenham

Tottenham are looking to strengthen their midfield this summer.

TBR confirmed earlier this month that Spurs are ready to sell Yves Bissouma in the coming weeks — Fabio Paratici is actively working to move him out.

We also revealed that the future of Rodrigo Bentancur is uncertain. The Uruguayan has entered the final year of his contract, and he could be sold too.

Tottenham are keeping an eye on potential replacements, and GiveMeSport have claimed that Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton has been identified as the club’s ‘dream signing’.

The report claims that ‘Levy is allowing Frank to define exactly the type of player he wants to attract to Tottenham and the Danish tactician has asked to explore an ambitious move for Wharton’.

TBR revealed Spurs’ interest in Wharton this week and that the North Londoners would be ready to make a move if he became available.

However, the fact that he has a contract until 2029 complicates things.

How much will Adam Wharton cost and why do Tottenham want him?

Wharton is one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League.

The Englishman, still only 21, has been brilliant for the Eagles since he joined them, and he has already made his England debut.

That is why Crystal Palace rate him very highly, and the report claims that he will cost in excess of £80 million for Tottenham or any other club this summer.

The reason why Spurs are eyeing a move for Wharton is his experience in the Premier League. That is also why they have signed Kudus and are keen to add Gibbs-White to their squad.

Tottenham are undergoing one of their biggest revamps in recent memory.

Daniel Levy chose to sack Ange Postecoglou, even though the Australian managed to win the Europa League with a rather broken first-team squad.

Spurs have also added a fair few new faces to their ranks already, with the club clearly looking to improve on their Premier League position from the 2024-25 season.

And now, it seems as though Levy is set to take on a new role with the North London club amid the recent rumours that hefty investment is afoot.

Daniel Levy set to take on ‘reduced’ role at Tottenham

Tottenham’s fans have been questioning some of the decisions that Levy has made about their club for some time now.

However, now that their sporting department is set to change with the likes of Vinai Venkatesham already there and others such as Fabio Paratici set to join Tottenham soon, things could start to look up for Spurs in the near future.

And, as per a fresh report from Paul O’Keefe, it seems like Levy is set to take on a more ‘reduced’ role at the club.

“Likely Levy stays but potentially in a different / reduced and perhaps even non-football-related role,” he wrote via his personal X account.

“Vinai’s appointment and the departure of Cullen were the first part of a broad realignment of the club.

“Remains to be seen what impact that has on the football strategy.”

Tottenham could be in for an impressive campaign this season

There’s no hiding from the fact that Tottenham’s performance during the 2024-25 campaign was well below par.

The North London club finished 17th in the Premier League table, and although they managed to win the Europa League over Manchester United, that’s still no excuse for finishing one place above the relegation zone.

Spurs have recently welcomed Mohammed Kudus to their ranks to bolster their attacking threat next term.

His addition, alongside others which are rumoured to be close to completion, will no doubt be key to their success next term.