It was expected for Morgan Gibbs-White to be playing his football away from the City Ground after Tottenham Hotspur had activated his release clause.
However, a few weeks on, and the midfielder is still part of the Forest squad. It was a saga that the Tricky Trees didn’t want to have this summer, but they have come out on the other side in a better situation.
Gibbs-White revealed his ambitions put a move in motion, but in the end he signed a new contract, extending his stay at the club until 2028 after a conversation with Evangelos Marinakis.
However, the 25-year-old has now revealed the biggest factor in him putting pen to paper on a new deal instead of moving away.
Morgan Gibbs-White in action for Nottingham Forest
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Morgan Gibbs-White says family was the biggest factor in him staying at Nottingham Forest
In an interview with TalkSPORT, Morgan Gibbs-White revealed that his family situation was one of the ‘main reasons’ behind staying at Forest.
Speaking on the saga that happened over the summer, the midfielder said, “I’m delighted with my decision, more than happy.”
“I think my fiancé is even more happy because she didn’t get to carry on with all the stress, and she was able to successfully deliver our little boy without any of the stress. So I think that was one of the main reasons was to just take off all the stress away from my fiancé.”
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While Tottenham did activate the player’s release clause, Nottingham Forest believed they had come to learn of it due to an illegal approach.
This resulted in threats of a court battle, and potential Premier League action against the Lilywhites.
If proceedings did come to that, the whole saga would have been dragged out even further, and that would also have provided added stress to Gibbs-White and his family, who wouldn’t have a definitive decision over their future.
In the end, the whole debacle was ended by the surprise renewal, bringing peace to the player and his family.
Morgan Gibbs-White applauding Forest fans after Brentford match
Photo by Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar Via Getty Images
Morgan Gibbs-White is crucial to Nottingham Forest’s plans
It was a major coup in keeping Gibbs-White at the club. He is a player that has become the star of the team, and having players of his quality is only going to further their chances of achieving their goals.
Gibbs-White has been a remarkable signing since he joined back in 2022. Throughout his time he has scored 18 goals and provided 29 assists.
It is no wonder why Marinakis fought so hard to keep the player, and even held personal discussions in order to thrash out a new deal.
Nottingham Forest appear to be unhappy with settling in place, and their ambitions in the transfer market show they are looking to stay within the battle for European places this season.
Having Gibbs-White around will make all the difference in doing so, and if Gibbs-White’s performance against Brentford is anything to go by, he is going to go up another level.