Morgan Gibbs-White hidden stats reveal why Nottingham Forest will struggle to block summer transfer

Morgan Gibbs-White was forced to watch from the bench as Nottingham Forest were battered 4-0 by Aston Villa on Thursday in the Europa League semi-final.

Goals from Ollie Watkins and Emi Buendia were followed by John McGinn’s brace in the final stages of the game to put the tie out of reach.

Nottingham Forest won the first leg at the City Ground after Chris Wood scored a penalty, but Monday’s 3-1 win at Chelsea has left some lasting damage, which came out in Thursday’s game.

Both Zach Abbott and Gibbs-White suffered head collisions against the Blues, with both players missed massively by Vitor Pereira’s side.

It has been clear for some time that Nottingham Forest transfer chiefs are desperate to keep the midfielder at the club this summer but they will struggle to block a summer move for a second consecutive year.

Nottingham Forest struggle without Morgan Gibbs-White

Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness exclusively told Football Insider last month that Nottingham Forest have no desire to sell Gibbs-White this summer.

The midfielder has enjoyed a superb season and could still go to the World Cup with England this summer.

It’s not just his goals but his less well known statistics, such as chances created (46) and duels won (122) in this season’s Premier League that underline his importance.

Especially in recent weeks, the 26-year-old has climbed to a new level completely as Nottingham Forest look to end the season in strong form.

Gibbs-White has scored seven Premier League goals and provided two assists since the start of March, with a goal also coming against FC Porto in the Europa League quarter-final.

The midfielder is at the centre of everything Pereira’s side do well going forward, and it showed at Villa Park when he was missing.

The Tricky Trees have scored 12 goals in their last three Premier League games, but they looked incapable of finding the net against Villa.

Nottingham Forest took just two shots on target and generated 0.79 expected goals (xG) without Gibbs-White, compared to the 1.56 xG created at the City Ground last week with the midfielder playing.

Gibbs-White to attract summer interest

Gibbs-White looked certain to leave last summer when Tottenham triggered the release clause in his contract.

But Nottingham Forest’s protests eventually saw the deal fall apart, with the midfielder signing a new contract until 2028.

It is unclear whether his new deal has any sort of clause allowing for a potential exit this summer, but he will certainly attract interest if he goes to the World Cup and performs.

Nottingham Forest would have been well aware that winning the Europa League and securing Champions League football would have given them a great chance of keeping Gibbs-White happy, but they must now appeal to his loyalty.

Should offers arrive from the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City this summer, the 26-year-old’s wishes will be revealed.

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