Tottenham must abandon Gibbs-White pursuit amid huge transfer development
Tottenham are set to continue the Morgan Gibbs-White transfer saga that dominated a large portion of the summer window.
The Lilywhites activated the midfielder’s release clause back in July, only for Nottingham Forest to continually stand in their way of completing the deal.
Gibbs-White’s potential move to Tottenham exasperated Forest, who repeatedly threatened to take legal action against their Premier League rivals.
Thomas Frank would surely have been keen to see the end of the saga, despite his side’s sustained interest in the England international, but the situation now looks set to flare up yet again.
Tottenham don’t need Gibbs-White as January move weighed up
The story surrounding the interest in Gibbs-White from Tottenham changed drastically on several occasions over the summer, and it now appears that it is still far from over.
The 25-year-old is understood to be likely to reassess his situation and the options available to him in the January window, according to CaughtOffside.
Spurs are still showing an interest in the former Wolves man, and while news of Gibbs-White’s potential change of heart could be music to their ears, the reality is that the moment has passed for them to land the midfielder.
Xavi Simons’ arrival shortly before the close of the summer window has satisfied the need to add a creative midfielder as cover for James Maddison, and Frank and Co. need to stick with their backing of the youngster.
| Simons | Stats (per 90) | Gibbs-White |
| 0.42 | Goals | 0.23 |
| 0.25 | Assists | 0.26 |
| 3.56 | Progressive Carries | 2.22 |
| 5.86 | Progressive Passes | 5.27 |
| 4.52 | Shot Creating Actions | 3.69 |
| 1.38 | Successful Take-Ons | 1 |
He outperformed Gibbs-White in almost every creative aspect last term, and with that in mind, the Lilywhites must surely abandon their pursuit of the Forest star.
Simons is a long-term investment for them at £52million, and it would send out a very poor message to him if they brought in another big-money player in his area of the field at the first possible opportunity.
Spurs need to save their money for other areas in January
Replacing Maddison has been a key priority for Spurs in the last few months, and with Simons now through the door, they must stand by their investment and give him a fair chance to impress.
Between the Netherlands international and Maddison, when he eventually returns from injury, the Lilywhites have two top-quality options at the top of their midfield, which negates any lingering need to sign Gibbs-White.
Instead, the money that would have been needed to secure his signature could be put to good use elsewhere in the squad.
The addition of another top-level centre-back or striker would sure up the strength in depth in either area of the pitch, and could be a far more sensible investment given where the squad is currently at.
It must be tempting for Spurs to try and reignite the move for Gibbs-White, but they must act sensibly on this occasion and back away.
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