It could be one of the biggest ‘what if’ transfers.
Instead of scoring the goals to lift Nottingham Forest closer to safety, Morgan Gibbs-White could have been Tottenham’s saviour.
Spurs thought they had their man last July but the transfer saga – during which Forest threatened legal action – could still have ramifications 10 months later.
The England international’s first hat-trick in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Burnley lifted Forest five points above the Premier League relegation zone with five games left and pushed Tottenham closer to the drop.
Gibbs-White also scored Forest’s winner in Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League quarter-final second-leg victory over Porto, which sent them through 2-1 on aggregate and set up a semi-final with Aston Villa.
It has left him on 15 goals in all competitions for Forest this season as the 26-year-old proves the difference as Vitor Pereira’s side look for survival ahead of Spurs.
‘A double kick in the stomach for Spurs’
When Forest strolled out of north London with a 3-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 28 days ago it felt seismic.
They were only three points above the relegation zone, but the magnitude of the win could not be understated.
It was Pereira’s first win as Forest manager and the nature of the victory felt huge, with Gibbs-White scoring a game-clinching second.
Fast forward a month and Gibbs-White’s hat-trick piles more misery on Spurs and gives them another reminder of what could have been.
A move to Tottenham appeared done in July when it appeared his £60m release clause had been triggered.
Yet Forest looked to take legal action and were furious with Tottenham’s conduct and were adamant they had not been given permission to speak to their player.
Gibbs-White went on to sign a new three-year contract a few weeks later and the saga was perhaps a prelude to the two club’s chaotic seasons, with Forest going through four managers and Spurs close to their first relegation since 1977.
“A massive three points. We knew how important this game was coming into it. The first half was a bit nervous, tense,” Gibbs-White told BBC Match of the Day.
“The words from the gaffer was to give it everything out there – whatever will be will be. They boys came out fighting, took our chances when we needed to and controlled the game.
“The first, I was a bit erratic. I knew for the second one to take a touch and be a bit more composed. When the third went in, it was a delight.
“We got the win and we have that gap.”
Instead of potentially spearheading Spurs’ survival bid, Gibbs-White has delivered another hammer blow.
Spurs, in 18th, will be four points from safety if West Ham beat Crystal Palace on Monday.
Ex-Tottenham midfielder Danny Murphy told Match of the Day: “It is strange how football works.
“One of the things Spurs fans have been vocal about is the club not being able to get good players signed and over the line.
“Whether that could be through the inability to negotiate properly, whether it’s financial, who knows?
“But, ultimately, a player like Gibbs-White would have been brilliant for Tottenham this season and would have hit the ground running – unlike Xavi Simons, who is a good player but has taken time to adapt.
“Today is a double kick in the stomach for Spurs as he could have been the man to save them from trouble. Instead, he’s given Forest a huge boost to beat the drop.”
‘He has a lot of talent in his pocket’
Forest had problems at home in the league, having won only two of their previous 11 top-flight outings at the City Ground.
In that time they had scored nine goals, but six of them came in wins against Leeds and Tottenham.
They were without a win at home in the league since 14 December, when they beat Spurs 3-0, and needed someone to step up. Cue Gibbs-White.
“When I was watching the first half we were talking together. Morgan was not in his best condition,” said Pereira.
“In the first half the team didn’t find him in the right timings, spaces and didn’t find him in the way we wanted.
“I asked them [at half-time], ‘let’s go to prove our quality and spirit’.
“He went in his pocket. He has a lot of talent in his pocket, a lot of team spirit and character, and he leads the team. I have leaders inside the team. They proved together we never give up.”
Gibbs-White’s treble – the first time he has scored more than once in a game since 2022 – made him the joint highest English scorer in the Premier League this season, on 12 with Brighton’s Danny Welbeck.
It was also a reminder to England manager Thomas Tuchel before the World Cup after Gibbs-White was left out of the 35-man squad last month for games with Japan and Uruguay.
Pereira said: “He deserves it because he has the quality of a leader.
“When things are not happening in the way we want, when the team is struggling, I know a lot of players in this moment they prefer to hide themselves.
“This is not for Morgan. He wants the ball, wants the responsibility and wants to score goals and assist.
“He is a fantastic player for us, not only technically and tactically but about character.”
