Nottingham Forest fans must be having sleepless nights over the long-term future of Morgan Gibbs-White.
It looked nailed on that the 25-year-old was going to be the next through the exit door at the City Ground after Anthony Elanga, as Tottenham Hotspur smugly activated his release clause, yet this move looks to be fraught with controversy now, with the Tricky Trees even threatening legal action over Spurs’ cloak-and-dagger approach.
Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White reacts
Whatever does occur between now and the entertaining transfer window closing involving Gibbs-White, Forest know they will need to press on with more incoming signings joining Nuno Espirito Santo’s group, with an ambitious midfield move now reportedly in the pipeline.
Nottingham Forest prepare move for £50m battler
Talk about fresh, new signings entering the fray has taken a backseat somewhat due to the drama of Elanga leaving and Gibbs-White nearly following suit.
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However, there have been some notable links here and there, with Ben Doak allegedly on the Forest radar for around the £25m mark as the Scotsman contemplates a move away from Liverpool.
Another standout rumour comes in the form of ex-Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz who could make a return to the Premier League with Forest.
douglas-luiz-juventus-champions-league
talkSPORT are reporting that Nuno’s men are ‘exploring’ a move for the former £50m Juventus buy, as Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis fancies the idea of bringing the top-flight-experienced Brazilian back to the Midlands.
It is stated that his £100k-per-week wage could be a potential stumbling block, but this might well be a standout signing Forest need to pursue in order to potentially convince Gibbs-White to remain put over favouring Champions League opportunities elsewhere, with the pair perhaps striking up an exciting midfield partnership very soon.
Before flopping in Turin, starting just three Serie A games last term, Luiz was a dependable performer week in week out for Unai Emery’s Villans, with a sumptuous effort such as this one against AFC Bournemouth in his back pocket.
Not just an energetic battler in the middle of the park, Luiz has proven himself to be more than capable of chipping in with a goal and an assist in the final third.
Indeed, he collected a sizeable haul of 22 goals and 24 assists for Villa, with Gibbs-White coincidentally on the exact same tally at this point in time for Forest as another livewire in the centre of the pitch.
Luiz’s Premier League numbers vs Gibbs-White
Stat
Luiz
Gibbs-White
Games played
175
154
Goals scored
20
18
Assists
18
27
Passes completed
7,744 (87%)
4,106 (78%)
Dribbles completed
202 (66%)
298 (48%)
Duels won
775
591
Tackles won
Looking at the table above, it’s clear there are differences between the duo, however, that would help them form a healthy working relationship, with Luiz more than content sitting deeper in the pitch when viewing his high number of 775 duels being won across his Premier League career to date, alongside his 285 tackles.
On the contrary, Gibbs-White excels when bombing forward, with Luiz’s addition to the group gifting Forest more stability in the middle, alongside an equally combative Elliot Anderson, to allow for the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker to express himself even more.
Douglas Luiz
During his final season at Villa Park, Luiz averaged a mightily impressive 5.3 ball recoveries in league action to be that tireless presence for his side, with football analyst Statman Dave even going out of his way to label the Brazilian as an “engine” for his relentless drive.
Away from competently completing his dirty work, Luiz would also be an addition that would stand out to the wantaway Englishman. Forest clearly need to showcase their ambition to Gibbs-White and the Brazilian’s pedigree in European competitions, as seen in the six Champions League appearances, would potentially be the type of signing to prove that.
Rather than deserting Forest, therefore, Gibbs-White might well believe Europe’s grandest stage can come to the City Ground shortly if Luiz’s expertise is added to the mix.
With new pictures coming out of Forest also showing Gibbs-White returning to training, it might not be a foregone conclusion anymore that the 25-year-old is on the move, especially if the “world-class” Luiz, as he was once labelled by ex-Villa teammate John McGinn, heads to Nottingham.
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