As the Morgan Gibbs-White transfer saga begins to get even more interesting, it seems like Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is just delaying the inevitable, and eventually Gibbs-White’s big £60 million move to north London will be complete. But, as legal action continues, and stubbornness over his move by the Forest, it could end up being even worse for them, and they should start to consider just letting him go before it's too late.
With former long time Brentford manager Thomas Frank taking the reins as new Spurs manager for their upcoming Champions League and Premier League campaigns, their spending didn't stop after the big £65 million move for Mohammed Kudus, triggering Morgan Gibbs-White's £60 million release clause being their next big move. But, despite activating the clause and effectively getting the deal done, Forest vetoed the deal, arguing Spurs made an unlawful approach for Gibbs-White and his agent without consent, resulting in the legal complaint made by Forest. And with Gibbs-White back in training with Forest, and the standoff making it difficult for Spurs to get the deal done, it seems almost inevitable the move will be made, and Forest could really be shooting themselves in the foot by halting the deal momentarily.
The Premier Leagues T.1 and T.3 rules state that any team must seek written permission before approaching a player, something Forest are arguing Spurs did not comply too, but the big detail is that Spurs managed to gain confidential contract information via Gibbs-White’s agent which led to the deal being agreed. But, it is the release clause which makes Forest’s case weak. They cannot exactly make a complaint against the clause being paid, but only the approach, and with Spurs claiming they have paid the clause and are now able to negotiate, the deal is lawful, and are still hopeful of getting the deal over the line.
With what we know, and how the deal has gone down, it is a 95% chance Gibbs-White ends up as Spurs before the end of the window, and most evidence shows that Forest don't have the legal grounds to fully block the transfer, but only to delay it. But why delay it now? Forest aren't exactly in a position to delay major transfers after the loss of Elanga earlier this month to Newcastle, and the £60 million Gibbs-White money could go very far in finding a replacement. And on top of the high chance he does leave, would they not rather take the money and find a replacement prior to the season? Or just wait until possibly the week of the deadline and make a panic buy? You can see why they are aiming to keep him, but with petty stalling tactics, and weak legal arguments, it is in Forest’s best interests that they cut their losses, and search for a quick replacement. The £60 million on top of the Elanga £50 million will not only manage to maintain their talent, but will give them time to find the right guys. The whole Gibbs-White situation just doesn't make sense for Marinakis or Forest, and it is a stubborn and uncalculated attempt of stalling and disruption, but what he can't see is how giving up now benefits them even more.
Comments