Morgan Gibbs-White signed a new contract at Nottingham Forest this summer, and it marked a huge moment for the club.
The Tricky Trees were able to fend off Tottenham Hotspur, who could offer Champions League football, showing real intent from Evangelos Marinakis.
Gibbs-White was not shy about why he wanted the move, but in the end, Nottingham Forest came out as the winners in the saga.
The Forest man went into the international break on the back of a poor performance against West Ham, and it could allow James McAtee to usurp Gibbs-White down the line.
And after the first three games, the 25-year-old leads one particular stat, though it is not a positive one.
It may be a major worry for Nuno Espirito Santo.
Morgan Gibbs-White in action for Nottingham Forest
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Morgan Gibbs-White has most misplaced passes per 90 in Premier League
Morgan Gibbs-White is usually a very tidy football player.
The midfielder has been key for Nottingham Forest ever since joining, and it was clear why Marinakis made such an effort to keep him at the club.
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However, in the first three games of the season, Gibbs-White has topped a stat that doesn’t make for good viewing.
According to Data.MB, the 25-year-old has the most misplaced passes per 90 in the Premier League.
Gibbs-White is misplacing 10.22 passes every 90 minutes he plays. In comparison, last season the Forest player had 6.71 misplaced passes per 90.
There is a clear shift in the player giving the ball away through poor passing.
The next two players on the list are Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans (9), and Brentford’s Jordan Henderson (8.64).
Player Total
Morgan Gibbs-White 10.22
Youri Tielemans 9
Jordan Henderson 8.64
Top 3 for misplaced passes per 90
Morgan Gibbs-White must improve quickly
There is a lot more quality in the Nottingham Forest squad this year, and that means places won’t be guaranteed. Not even for Forest’s star man.
Morgan Gibbs-White will have James McAtee breathing down his neck vying for that starting role.
If the England international keeps misplacing passes at the rate he is doing so, he could find himself dropped to the bench.
Forest fans are not used to their number 10 being sloppy on the ball as they have watched him excel over the past two seasons.
So Nuno and the Garibaldi supporters will be hoping this is just a small blip in the player’s form and he can start hitting his passes more accurately.