After completing his training with Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2017, Gibbs-White went on to play on loan at Sheffield United and Swansea City. He excelled at Bramall Lane, helping Sheff Utd reach the Championship play-off semi-final in May 2022 before losing to Nottingham Forest. He scored 12 goals and provided 10 assists.
The anticipation was that the central attacking midfielder would make a return to Wolves in the summer of 2022 and strive to secure a spot in their starting lineup.
Contrary to expectations, Gibbs-White surprised Wolves fans by opting to join Forest in a significant transfer deal. Forest paid an initial £25 million to Wolves for Gibbs-White, with the potential for the deal to reach an impressive £42.5 million with additional payments.
Since joining the City Ground, the 24-year-old has emerged as a vital player, playing a central role in Forest’s creative efforts. He has notably contributed to goals against teams like Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Luton Town since February. Additionally, he has captained Nuno Espirito Santo’s team on eight occasions this season.
According to Transfermarkt, Gibbs-White holds the title of Forest’s most valuable player, valued at £34 million, surpassing Ibrahim Sangare, who is valued at £27 million.
However, on Friday, speculations arose linking Tottenham and West Ham with potential moves for the playmaker. Furthermore, Arsenal’s interest in him surfaced on Sunday.
In his most recent column for the Daily Briefing, Romano has affirmed Arsenal’s interest in Gibbs-White. However, there hasn’t been any firm action taken yet. Arsenal intends to monitor the situation closely and will likely base their final decision on whether Forest faces relegation from the Premier League.
Arsenal ‘appreciate’ Nott’m Forest star
“Morgan Gibbs-White has been linked with Arsenal by some outlets, but I’m not aware of anything imminent or concrete,” the journalist said. “They appreciate the player as many other clubs do as well, but at the moment they haven’t made contact with Nottingham Forest so we have to be patient on this one; it’s also going to be key to understand if Forest will still be in the Premier League or not.” Forest were recently hit with a four-point deduction for breaking Profit and Sustainability Rules, which saw them drop into the bottom three. They are now in 18th spot, one point behind 17th-placed Luton.
Remarkably, Everton is awaiting the outcome of a second charge, so the confirmation of the three relegated clubs might not come until after the season has concluded. The Toffees have already succeeded in reducing their first points deduction from ten to six, but they risk going down into the Championship if they receive another penalty.
If Forest is unable to stay in the top division, this will lead to a significant transfer competition for Gibbs-White between West Ham, Arsenal, and Spurs.
The attacker has shown that he is too talented for the Championship and that he can have a significant impact on Premier League games.
In the end, Gibbs-White wants to establish himself in the senior England team, and a transfer to an Arsenal-like team would help him achieve that goal.