Nottingham Forest have another season of Premier League football to look forward to in 2024/25, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s side winning two of their last three matches to secure their top-flight status for a second successive season.
Wins against Burnley and Sheffield United allowed the Reds to secure safety, despite having a four-point deduction earlier in the campaign following a breach of the Premier League’s PSR rules.
However, the deduction inspired the club to get the job done, with Nuno putting his stamp on the side and showcasing some brilliant free-flowing attacking football that has caused some teams no end of problems this season.
Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga’s blistering pace have often been useful for the Reds, with the duo finishing the campaign with 23 goal contributions between them.
In their second successive season back in the Premier League, the club have found it easier to find the back of the net, largely down to one player, with his creativity levels increasing further during 2023/24 following his move to the City Ground back in 2022.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s stats in the PL 2023/24
Over the last 12 months, there’s no role in the midfield or forward line that Morgan Gibbs-White hasn’t featured in – but best of all, he’s looked at home in every one of them.
Whether it’s central midfield, the number ten role or even off the left, he’s excelled producing some excellent numbers for the Reds in the process.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man finished the campaign with five goals and ten assists – a superb return for a player leading a club away from any form of relegation threat.
He’s also registered 74 chances created – a tally that is more than double any other Forest player could manage in 2023/24, with Hudson-Odoi taking second spot with just 36.
Assists
10
1st
Chances created
74
1st
Big chances created
16
1st
Expected assists
6.8
1st
Goals + Assists combined
15
1st
His xG of 6.8 expected assists, which like his chances created is the highest in the squad, demonstrates that he’s exceeded the tally he should be achieving based upon the goals he’s laid off for his teammates.
Gibbs-White has been at the heart of everything for Nuno’s side during the second half of the season, with his market value taking a sharp rise as a result.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s market value in 2024
Nearly two years on from his £25m move to the City Ground from Wolverhampton Wanderers, the 24-year-old has proved a lot of doubters wrong, with his value rising to a respectable £34m, as per Transfermarkt.
His subsequent increase sees him top as the Reds’ most valuable player, overtaking fellow midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, who’s now only worth £27.2m just over eight months after his £30m move to the East Midlands, which has seen him only feature 17 times.
Morgan Gibbs-White
£34m
Ibrahim Sangare
£27.2m
Taiwo Awoniyi
£23.8m
Danilo
£23.8m
Murillo
£21.2m
There’s no surprise that after the campaign he’s had for Forest, Gibbs-White is being linked with numerous clubs with a move away from the City Ground during the off-season.
Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are just two of the sides previously credited with an interest in luring him away from the Reds, but it would take a bid of at least £50m for the club to part ways with their star man.
The “unbelievable” talent, as described by writer Nathan Joyes, has been exceptional for the club since promotion, being a real spearhead in the attempts to avoid relegation – often proving to be the difference with his creativity.
It’s not outrageous to say that he’s simply irreplaceable for Forest, with the board and Nuno needing to stand firm in the window to avoid allowing him to depart for pastures new ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Nottingham Forest could also lose £80k-a-week hero alongside Gibbs-White
What a blow this would be for Nuno Espirito Santo.
ByHenry JacksonMay 24, 2024