Tottenham Hotspur‘s bid to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest is threatening to turn ugly. So fans will hope the club are trying to snap up an absolute world beater.
It all looked done and dusted. Tottenham had reportedly activated the England star’s £60million release clause and a medical was booked in. Thomas Frank’s side were the envy of many Premier League clubs as they moved quickly to secure a huge coup for a player that many believe is worth far more. There have even been claims that he should have a £100m price tag.
Then came the fightback from Nottingham Forest. They pulled the brakes on the deal and insisted they never gave permission for Spurs to speak with the player. The Tricky Trees said they were consulting their lawyers and reported Tottenham to the Premier League.
What’s clear is that Nottingham Forest are desperate to hold on to the 25-year-old playmaker, who was directly involved in 15 league goals last season. It’s also clear that Spurs are open to keep pushing for the player despite a dispute between the two clubs.
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But the question is: Is Gibbs-White really worth the hassle of wading through potential legal troubles to get the transfer done?
We don’t currently know the fine details of Gibbs-White’s contract. Or what exactly Tottenham are being accused of.
There are now reports that Spurs are considering increasing their bid to £65m in the hopes that it could change Forest’s standpoint. But fans would hope for a world class talent who will walk into their team if Tottenham are going to go through all this trouble.
Gibbs-White enjoyed a superb season with Forest in 2024-25. He pulled the strings for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, scoring seven goals and provided eight assists to help them qualify for Europe. But the statistics show he did not blow his Tottenham rivals out of the water. Not by any stretch.
Despite finishing the season with Europa League glory, they massively underwhelmed in the Premier League. Spurs endured a tough campaign, finishing 17th, and Forest did the double over them. Gibbs-White was a standout in both victories.
However, despite their struggles, Tottenham have plenty of talent in the attacking area. James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are both capable of playing in the No.10 role behind the striker that Gibbs-White favours.
How does Gibbs-White compare to Tottenham’s attackers?
Maddison outscored Gibbs-White in the Premier League last season, and got one less assist. Kulusevski scored the same amount of goals. But both Maddison (0.45) and Kuluseski (0.26) scored more goals per 90 minutes than Gibbs-White’s 0.22. Attackers Brennan Johnson (0.45) and Son Heung-min (0.3) also had superior records
Gibbs-White’s 0.7 shots per 90 was bettered by Maddison (0.84), Johnson (0.83) and Son (1.11). But the Englishman is all about creating chances, so it would be wrong not to look at those metrics.
Gibbs-White averaged 0.32 big chances created per 90 in the Premier League last season. That gave him the edge over Maddison, though Tottenham’s Englishman played a few roles. But both Kulusevski (0.34) and Son (0.68) finished with more big chances created per 90.
The Englishman created 1.63 chances per 90 — a return bettered by Maddison, Kulusevski and Son. He also completed fewer take-ons (0.99) than any of the three players, with his total only beating Johnson’s 0.78. Gibbs-White recorded 0.17 Expected Assists per 90, with only Johnson managing worse among Tottenham’s attackers last season.
In the passing department, Gibbs-White was more able to hold his own. The Englishman completed 31.22 passes per 90 in the Premier League last season. That’s morethan Kulusevski (24.13), Johnson (17.88) or Son (29.77). But Maddison’s record of 49.31 was far superior. Maddison also outperformed Gibbs-White when it came to passing accuracy (86.75%) and final third passes completed (19.72).
Gibbs-White also attempted more through balls (0.61) than any Tottenham attacker per 90, and completed 0.19 per 90. Only Maddison bettered the latter total.
Is Gibbs-White worth the hassle for Tottenham?
Numbers aside, what does all this mean in the grand scheme of things? It doesn’t mean Gibbs-White is a bad player — far from it. The Englishman is a fantastic playmaker who has done well to stand out from the crowd at Forest, helping them overachieve by qualifying for Europe.
And it’s fair to say that Gibbs-White would probably do even better in a team that had higher quality squad overall. Because it would give him further licence to bomb forwards and play with freedom. But the stats show that Gibbs-White is probably more on the level of what Tottenham already have in their attack.
Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Tottenham are right to seek more reinforcements in midfield given their calamitous injury crisis last year that took out Maddison and Kulusevski for long periods. Gibbs-White can also play deeper in midfield, so he’s an all-round solid addition to have at Tottenham.
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But is he a signing that will change the make-up of the club? A player that Spurs can build the team around for years to come? Probably not. We’ve already seen Liverpool go hell for leather to bring Florian Wirtz to Anfield for a British record fee of £116.5m — because they are so convinced he will take them to another level. Gibbs-White is not that calibre yet.
Tottenham will likely feel £60m was a far price based on the stats and the figures Gibbs-White has produced compared to their own players. And it remains to be seen whether they will be willing to push the boat out further.
Gibbs-White wasn’t even in the top 10 for assists last season. While that doesn’t take away from the excellent season he had, it does provide solid evidence against claims that Gibbs-White is a £100m player.
It seems Nottingham Forest are going to play hardball over a player they are desperate to keep — especially after already losing Anthony Elanga to Newcastle for £55m. And this is a saga that could drag on all summer if Tottenham keep chasing it.
If Gibbs-White does end up staying at the City Ground, it won’t be a disastrous failure from Tottenham’s side. Based on what we’ve seen already, he would be a great addition to Spurs’ squad and add to their squad depth. But if the move proves too difficult, Tottenham should look at other targets.
How Tottenham could line up with Gibbs-White
We’ve touched on how Gibbs-White is versatile and can play deeper in midfield, so perhaps that’s a way Thomas Frank could incorporate him in a 4-3-3. It would mean he could also play James Maddison or Dejan Kulusevski at the same time.
Now, it would probably be a tactical gamble to play so many attacking players at once. But Frank is eager to win over the Tottenham fans with front-facing football that entertains and delights.
Gibbs-White playing alongside the likes of Maddison and new signing Mohammed Kudus would give Tottenham real attacking verve and creativity all over the pitch.
Spurs also have players like Dominic Solanke who like to drop deeper and hold up the ball, with stars such as Mathys Tel who are able to run at players with pace. They could be a real menace for opposition teams next season.
