‘Marinakis ready to lose a lot of money over Gibbs-White to Tottenham dispute’
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is prepared to spend big to prove that Tottenham made an illegal approach to sign Reds playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White.
Gibbs-White was one of Forest’s best players last season as they did the improbable and competed for Champions League football throughout the campaign before eventually finishing seventh in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old attacking midfielder has been the subject of serious transfer interest this summer as a result, and Tottenham were tipped to target a move for Gibbs-White last month despite rival interest from Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Spurs moved to activate Gibbs-White’s £60million release-clause on Thursday (10 July), but Forest took issue with their action and it was soon reported that the deal was off with the City Ground side set to consult their lawyers over an illegal approach from Tottenham for the England international.
Forest and owner Marinakis are still standing by their belief that Spurs approached Gibbs-White in a rule-breaking manner, and a new update on their pursuit of the truth has now emerged.
Marinakis to lose ‘significant’ sums in Gibbs-White saga
Forest’s owner has been in the public eye on numerous occasions over the last few years, most recently storming onto the pitch in May after a draw against Leicester City, to which former scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Nuno Espiritio Santo had been left “humiliated” by the Greek businessman.
With Gibbs-White back in pre-season training [Instagram] with his Forest teammates for now, Sky Sports have reported that Forest owner Marinakis is prepared to “lose significant sums of money” to defend his position that Tottenham made an alleged illegal approach for the England international.
Marinakis also stands by his belief that there has been a breach of confidentiality in Tottenham seemingly being aware of the value of Gibbs-White’s buy-out clause, as, under Premier League rules, clubs are not allowed to talk to players under contract with another team unless they have permission.
Their report has also revealed that Tottenham have no current plans to do anything else at this stage in terms of a new bid or legal action, but they haven’t yet given up in their attempts to sign Gibbs-White.
Forest cannot afford to lose Gibbs-White after Elanga sale
Football Insider verdict
Forest’s unexpected rise to the upper echelons of the Premier League last term came as a shock to many neutrals, but it also likely was a surprise for those high up at the club, who would not have expected to have to fend off such high-profile interest in their players this summer.
Nuno’s side is in danger of being picked apart with Gibbs-White potentially on his way out, after Forest sold Anthony Elanga to Newcastle for £55m [BBC] last week, while Football Insider recently revealed that key centre-back Murillo could be sold soon amid interest from Chelsea and Liverpool.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 118 | 18 | 28 |
With the East Midlands outfit now set to take part in the Europa League after Crystal Palace’s demotion, they need to keep the core of their squad at the club, and selling Gibbs-White is very clearly not on the agenda.
Potentially letting him go for £60m after signing him in 2022 for a deal that has now reached £42.5m after add-ons [Sky Sports], so just £17.5m profit, clearly represents bad business too, which is likely a factor in why Forest are going down the legal route with Spurs.