Morgan Gibbs-White latest: How Man City could benefit from Tottenham ‘doing the dirty work’ amid Nottingham Forest’s legal complaint

Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany does not believe that Pep Guardiola’s side can be entirely ruled out of the race to sign Morgan Gibbs-White just yet.

The 25-year-old was strongly linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium earlier this summer, but the Citizens were allegedly unwilling to meet Nottingham Forest’s £100m asking price for the midfielder.

It has since emerged that Gibbs-White has a £60m release clause in his contract at the City Ground which was activated by Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur last week.

Forest are said to consider Gibbs-White's proposed move to Spurs to be off for now, though, while they consult their lawyers over potential legal action, as they believe that Spurs made an illegal approach to the player and never granted permission for them to speak to him.

It remains unclear over whether Forest are able to block the transfer entirely, but Gibbs-White’s proposed move to North London is now expected to be delayed as Forest prepare a complaint to the Premier League.

Spurs are said to remain confident about their chances of signing Gibbs-White, who reported to Forest for pre-season training on Monday, but McInerney has suggested that Man City may consider reigniting their interest in the England international.

Gibbs-White to Man City ‘not impossible’ despite Spurs interest

McInerney claims that Gibbs-White was expecting a move to Man City earlier this summer, but reports of a potential switch to the Etihad soon cooled following the arrivals of playmaker Rayan Cherki and midfielder Tijjani Reijnders ahead of the Club World Cup.

Although Spurs appear to be at the front of the queue to sign Gibbs-White, McInerney has suggested that Pep Guardiola's side may contemplate going back in for Forest’s No.10 if his move to North London collapses and if either Ilkay Gundogan or Mateo Kovacic leave the Etihad in the near future.

Speaking to Sports Mole about the possibility of Man City renewing their interest in Gibbs-White, McInerney said: “I don't think it's impossible. I don't expect it, but football is a strange old game and anything can happen at any moment, so more fool the man who rules it out.

“I expect City have sort of moved on from him overall. There were some rumours that it was Cherki or Gibbs-White and Guardiola chose Cherki. You do wonder how much the fee played into that.

“I think largely Cherki is a better number 10, so if it was an option of [choosing a number] 10 out of those two players, you understand why Guardiola’s gone for Cherki who is an absurdly gifted creator and a lot more akin to [Kevin] De Bruyne in terms of his overall output in terms of creativity.

“There was a shot of Guardiola talking to Gibbs-White after [City’s FA Cup semi-final win over Forest] and it looked like one of those chats where he's like: ‘I'll see you soon mate’.

Gibbs-White “expected” Man City move earlier this summer

“[It seemed] all but confirmed when that was happening at the time and I know in semi-person as well that Gibbs-White was actually expecting a move to Man City to happen, and it just shows you how fickle things can be in football. They can move so quickly and for whatever reason it looks like he's set to join Spurs.

“I really like Gibbs-White. I think he's a cracking player. I do wonder how much his transfer was tied to other potential departures (at City) as well. I know we just talked about him being a 10 and either him or Cherki, but I do think there was a world that existed where it could have been Cherki and Gibbs-White.

“But that might have coincided with maybe one of Gundogan or Bernardo Silva maybe stepping out the door a little bit earlier. Maybe with Kovacic and his future sorted out, it looks like he's just going to be here, we don't know given he was injured during the Club World Cup.

“Maybe had Bernardo or Gundogan moved on, maybe City would have pulled the trigger and gone for Gibbs-White, but then you've got that issue with the fee.”

Sharing his thoughts on Gibbs-White’s valuation and release clause, McInerney added: “Now City were quoted £100m and that is obviously absurd. He's nowhere near that. You do wonder what's going on with the release clause. Were there some rumours about it only activating on a certain date?

“We can all be naive and act like clubs don't know these things, but they do know. There's no way his agent isn't going to get Man City to know that he's got a release clause that he could activate.

“City under (outgoing sporting director) Txiki Begiristain have been very good at activating release clauses. They love a release clause because it's an easy transfer and it gets you through the door nice and easily with very little negotiation.

“Maybe they didn't know, or maybe it's genuinely the case that not enough players have left City. It does look like Bernardo’s definitely going to stay. I presume Kovacic will. I felt Gundogan was going to go but it's gone a bit quiet on that front as well. Who knows, maybe they're just on holiday right now.”

“Forest and Spurs might have done the dirty work” for City to sign Gibbs-White

Not only is Gibbs-White a “very talented player” who recorded seven goals and 10 assists in 34 Premier League games for Forest last season, but he is also a homegrown player which appeals to a Man City side seeking to comply with homegrown quota rules for next season.

“Having said all that, there's still a small possibility of Gibbs-White becoming a City player,” said McInerney. “Forest and Spurs might have done the dirty work for City there. Maybe the release clause is out and up in the air now.

“If Gundogan moves on and it turns out Kovacic's future's up in the air a little bit after his injury, they might still go in for Gibbs-White, given the fact that they need homegrown players, but I don't really know. It is a mad mess.

“He's a very talented player and personally I wouldn't say no, but I think we've probably made our decision already.”

McInerney has also shared his thoughts on why Cherki “could be special” and ‘understands the logic’ behind Man City’s decision to prioritise the 21-year-old over Gibbs-White earlier this summer.

> Click this link to view and listen to the full discussion.

Written by
Oliver Thomas