Morgan Gibbs-White’s proposed move to Manchester City throws up interesting questions for Nottingham Forest.
If, as expected, the £75million deal goes ahead, Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola will be taking charge of a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne.
Not a like-for-like - the two have different skillsets - but as a focal point, a man-who-makes-things-happen - there can be no doubt that the former Premier League champions have chosen well.
Tricky Trees Have Gibbs-White Deal Options
Attacking midfielder gaining interest ahead of summer window
Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of a Nottingham Forest game
Gibbs-White has emerged as a well-rounded individual during his time in the East Midlands with Nottingham Forest. Not only does everything that’s good go through him on the pitch, he also commands attention off it.
The Tricky Trees have several players senior to the former England Under-17 World Cup winner - such as striker Chris Wood, strong-arm defender Nikola Milenkovic and goalkeeper Matz Sels - yet head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has tossed the armband to the attacking midfielder.
It is a huge vote of confidence in a player who has also tasted success in the European Championships with Lee Carsley’s Under-21s. The pedigree then, is there for all to see. Wolverhampton Wanderers' former academy graduate has certainly come of age at the City Ground - and it’s entirely right that he should be looking at the next stage of his development.
By way of return, Nottingham Forest will bank a huge uplift in the £25million fee handed to Molineux - although the exact profit will depend on how many of the add-ons the playmaker has already fulfilled.
Morgan Gibbs-White's statistics for Nottingham Forest this season
However, the mooted switch throws up interesting options for the club with a view to a potential player-plus-cash or loan move.
On the hit-list is a younger version of Gibbs-White in James McAtee. A couple of factors work in Nottingham Forest’s favour, here. The first is that Guardiola - or his recruitment team - actively want Gibbs-White. That gives Evangelos Marinakis and his directors a bargaining chip.
The second is that McAtee’s contract is winding down at the Etihad Stadium. With just 12 months left to go, the 22-year-old is entering a crucial period in his career. It’s not make-or-break, exactly, but the next few years should inform the football-watching world where his level is.
Will he follow Cole Palmer by leaving Guardiola’s patronage and forge a fantastic career for himself elsewhere? Or will he find himself pigeon-holed differently?
There is interest in him from Germany - with Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen reportedly keen back in January. The former have taken young English talent before - think Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham - and both went on to big-money moves after impressing in the Bundesliga.
But surely the lesser gamble would be to join an upwardly-mobile, monied and ambitious club in Nottingham Forest and see where that takes you? It’s far easier to land a big fish if you are impressing the elite in the Premier League every week.
City Ground Switch May be Grealish Solution
England international wants to boost World Cup selection hopes
Manchester City winger Jack Grealish in action
However, Guardiola does have another ace up his sleeve - although it is one that has been tarnished in the past few months - and that’s Jack Grealish.
GIVEMESPORT understands that the desire of the 29-year-old to represent his country at next year’s World Cup is very real. Due to what appeared to be a fragmented relationship with former Three Lions chief Gareth Southgate, the £100million man never truly made a position his own in the England team.
He was used sparingly by Southgate - the lesser of what appeared to be several options - as the national side suffered heartache in the past two European Championships.
However, Grealish turns 30 this summer and the clock is ticking if he wants to be involved in major tournaments. And with an enlarged competition next summer, spanning three populous countries, the eyes of the planet are going to be fixed firmly on Central and North America.
The player knows that current England boss Thomas Tuchel is a fan - but also appreciates that he cannot even begin to force his way into the German’s thinking if he is not playing. And that is the current situation at the Etihad Stadium, where the man who made him king - Guardiola - is in the process of turning him into a footballing pauper.
Where the fault lies is not the question. The reality is that Grealish’s days at Manchester City are numbered - and there are a few possible solutions - with Nottingham Forest being one of them.
Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer pointed out that Guardiola wants the player to leave. And the evidence backs him up. Grealish was on the bench for the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace when a rookie Argentinian, Claudio Echeverri, was preferred in his place.
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That was a huge public snub - perhaps bigger than the one that saw the former Aston Villa star kept out of the squad which travelled to last week's final game of the season at Fulham.
Yes, the writing is on the wall for him in Manchester - written in sky blue letters 100 feet high. But Nottingham Forest could provide Grealish with a home.
He still has a residence to the south of Birmingham - it would be a 75-minute drive to the club’s training base. And observers have long since felt that a position where he could enjoy possession more - as a No.10 - would best suit him.
He would be able to dictate play there or, if needed, out wide. The stumbling block is the £300,000-per-week wage to which the player is entitled during the next two years remaining on his contract.
But a transfer fee could be waived in lieu of that. Manchester City may make a contribution or Nottingham Forest could offer a longer agreement. A deal is not out of the question.
The carrot of Champions League football would have added to the attractiveness for Grealish. Alas, for those at the City Ground, that wasn't to be. But in several other respects, a switch to the East Midlands should breathe fresh life into a player who appears to have lost his way.
And there is one other factor worth noting too. Both Gibbs-White and Grealish are represented by the same management company. Surely it would make sense for them to broker deals which left both players in a happy place if they could.
Two seasons ago, a move to Nottingham Forest would have appeared out of the question for a player who was the darling of the Etihad Stadium. But times change. They have at the City Ground. And for Grealish.
A switch for Gibbs-White - and for Nottingham Forest to receive either Grealish or McAtee in return - would make a lot of sense.
All statistics courtesy of Sofascore - correct as of 30/05/2025
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