Morgan Gibbs-White showed his love for Nottingham Forest fans in his first game back on Saturday as the transfer saga around him rumbles on.
The England international has seen Tottenham Hotspur activate his £60million release clause, and he was expected to have already completed a move.
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However, his club have lodged a legal complaint over the approach, and the deal is off, for now.
Forest’s owner Evangelos Marinakis claims Spurs’ efforts to sign the attacking midfielder are illegal, and it is now being looked into.
In the meantime, Gibbs-White is back Trentside and participated in the first half of Forest’s 0-0 draw with Monaco yesterday.
When the half-time whistle sounded, the former Wolves player applauded the traveling Forest fans, who responded with enthusiastic cheers for their standout performer.
He then signalled a heart emoji to them before leaving the pitch.
It should be noted that Gibbs-White does this all the time to the Forest fans, so nothing was different.
But it’s clear that, no matter what happens, this is a player who has a lot of respect for the club’s supporters.
This was Gibbs-White’s first appearance of pre-season, and his future is still up in the air.
However, reports suggest he will be flying with the rest of the squad on the club’s pre-season tour to Portugal, which departs on Monday.
From Forest’s point of view, this deal is off while they await the outcome of their complaint.
And after losing Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United, Gibbs-White leaving is the last thing Nuno Espirito Santo wants to see happen.
From Gibbs-White’s point of view, he’s handled himself professionally.
The 25-year-old turned up to pre-season training when he was expected to on Monday and took part in this game.
And teammate Ola Aina has praised the England international for the way he’s conducted himself.
After participating in the 0-0 match against Monaco, he commented: “Morgan is a true professional. I don’t really know all the details, but he was present today, participating in training and maintaining his fitness as usual.”
“So you would need to ask Morgan. We are professionals, and we have got a job to do, and that’s what Morgan is doing right now.”
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Tottenham are hoping to add Gibbs-White to Thomas Frank’s squad.
Tottenham has already secured Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United for £55 million, and as they gear up for their first Champions League season since the 2022/23 campaign, they are seeking to bolster their squad depth.
After a truly dreadful domestic campaign ended with Ange Postecoglou and Spurs claiming the Europa League, Tottenham are looking to avoid a repeat of last year in the Premier League.
Gibbs-White would add energy and creativity to the Spurs midfield, but the confusion around this release clause means any potential deal is dragging on.
But Forest fans will hope they get to see that gesture from Gibbs-White over and over again this season.
