Nottingham Forest have been linked with a transfer which could see them replace Morgan Gibbs-White - but do they have the right target?
Legal challenges will probably only hold everything up for so long – Nottingham Forest will surely have to reckon with the seemingly inevitable departure of Morgan Gibbs-White eventually. And as it happens, they may have a particularly exciting replacement in their sights.
Gibbs-White reportedly resumed training with Forest on Monday morning after his move to Tottenham Hotspur was delayed while his current employers registered complaints over the nature of Spurs’ approach to the player. Such delaying tactics – or entirely legitimate concerns, depending on your point of view – will surely not stall the £60m transfer for long.
That leaves Forest on the brink of heading into their first European campaign in decades without the creative heartbeat of their attack. But if they can pip Benfica to the signing of Thiago Almada, they may not be so frustrated by the loss of Gibbs-White after all…
Nottingham Forest reportedly interested in Lyon’s Thiago Almada
Almada first made his name in the MLS, impressing in the 2022 season to a sufficient extent that he was called up to Argentina’s World Cup squad as a last-minute injury replacement – meaning that he was, at the age of just 21, crowned as a world champion in Qatar.
His form at Atalanta United exploded the following season, when he scored 11 goals and provided 16 assists. That was enough to earn international scouting attention, and eventually Brazilian outfit Botafogo signed him for a club record fee of €19.5m (£17m), where he added a continental medal to his collection by playing a key role in his side’s victorious Copa Libertadores campaign in 2024. Almada already has a thoroughly impressive collection of silverware to his name.
Somewhat inevitably, given the nature of the multi-club ownership group that Botafogo are a part of, he was moved on to sister side Lyon in January, on an initial loan with an obligation to buy as John Textor – the American investor whose presence at Crystal Palace led to their demotion from the Europa League and Forest’s likely promotion to that competition next season – shuffled his cards around.
Lyon, of course, still have overwhelming debts and only avoided an enforced relegation to the second tier of French football on appeal, and as such are seemingly willing to sell a big-ticket player that they have technically only just signed. According to Portuguese news outlet O Jogo, a fee of €25-30m (£21-26m) will be required, and that’s a figure of interest to Benfica, who view Almada as a key priority for the summer. But the Portuguese giants aren’t the only team in the running.
While Benfica work out whether they can afford to make a bid, Nottingham Forest are also claimed to be interested. As an attacking midfielder who can operate either on the left wing or in a more central role, it makes logical sense that he would be seen as Gibbs-White’s replacement – and would come in at less than half of the cost of the soon-to-depart England international.
Whether Almada himself would be tempted by a move to the Premier League or would prefer Benfica remains unclear, and Forest have yet to make a formal offer, but if they do enter the bidding, would he help them to move forward into a new era of continental football – and to get over Gibbs-White?
Why Almada could be the ideal replacement for Morgan Gibbs-White
Not unlike Gibbs-White, the now 24-year-old Almada is an attacking midfielder who operates in a fluid role which blurs the line between a traditional number ten and a wide man, plying the channels and looking for half-spaces in which to operate.
Although a fine ball-carrier with an excellent first touch, he isn’t as dynamic with the ball at his feet as Gibbs-White – but still creates an impressive volume of shooting chances with a hugely impressive passing range. Where Gibbs-White takes men on and breaks the lines one-on-one, Almada does it in front of defenders with precision and grace.
He’s also proven to be a capable goalscorer in the past, although a total of just two league goals since the start of 2024 is somewhat concerning after a better record in front of goal earlier in his career. He did, at least, score with a fine strike from just inside the penalty area against Colombia just last month which suggests that his finishing touch hasn’t deserted him entirely.
Still, he would be signed as a creator and orchestrator rather than as the player who scores the goals – that, for now, remains the province of Chris Wood. The question is whether Nuno Espirito Santo’s direct, counter-attacking style will be elevated by a player who can playmaker from pockets of space in the final third, or whether he needs a player who is better able to run the ball at defenders and complement quick breaks.
If O Jogo’s reporting is to be believed, Santo himself has a clear idea of the way Almada would fit in – the manager is said to be the person interested in bringing the Argentine to the City Ground.
If Forest do indeed make a move, they would be signing a player blessed with immense class, fine technique and the kind of creative instincts to replace Gibbs-White as the engine behind so much of Forest’s best work going forward. All that remains to be seen is whether they open their chequebooks and try to beat Benfica to the punch – or even find a way to work a miracle and keep Gibbs-White around after all. One certainly seems more likely than the other for now.
Continue Reading