Yahoo News Morgan Gibbs-White bench warning sent as Nottingham Forest transfer window bursts into life
Nottingham Forest head into another Premier League season hoping to finally build on their ambitions and raise the status of the club.
With lofty aspirations from owner Evangelos Marinakis, the club will look to Nuno Espirito Santo to help build a team that can look up the table rather than at the trapdoor underneath them.
It promises to be a busy few weeks at the club ahead of the new season starting, we take a look at the latest news and rumours.
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Exit imminent
Moussa Niakhate has signed his new contract with Lyon with his £26m Nottingham Forest exit soon to be announced.
The defender is close to departing the City Ground after two years. Signing from FSV Mainz 05 after the club's promotion, for Steve Cooper he was a semi-reliable option following an early hamstring injury and later would go on to complete his 37 appearances in a Forest shirt under Nuno Espirito Santo.
But supporters have now seen the Senegal international kick a ball for Forest for the last time, as his exit to French outfit Lyon has been agreed. A medical was reportedly completed last week and now to further advance the deal, Fabrizio Romano claims his contract has now been signed.
Odysseas Vlachodimos speaks out
Odysseas Vlachodimos has spoken for the first time about leaving Nottingham Forest.
Speaking to his new club, Vlachodimos said : "I am very happy to be joining Newcastle United. It's an honour for me to be part of this huge club, with excellent players and a great coach. I can't wait to get started!"
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe, said: "Odysseas is very experienced at elite European and international level and he joins a strong group of senior goalkeepers.
"That strength in depth is valuable and means we go into the new season with strong competition in a key area."
Forest have completed a double transfer
The Reds have signed midfielder Elliot Anderson from Newcastle United on a five-year deal, while Odysseas Vlachodimos has left the City Ground to head in the opposite direction, joining Newcastle in a permanent deal.
Chief football officer Ross Wilson said: “We are all delighted to welcome Elliot to Nottingham Forest and pleased that he has chosen to continue to develop his talent with us in the Premier League.
"We are sure he will thrive in a Forest shirt, as other players in his age profile have done.
“As soon as the opportunity arose for him to potentially join, it was something we were all excited to make happen.”
Announcing Vlachodimos’ exit, the club said: “Odysseas Vlachodimos has completed a permanent transfer to Newcastle United.
Wishing you all the best for the future, Odysseas!”
Geordie anger
Unsurprisingly, the Newcastle United faithful aren’t happy that they are having to part ways with one of their own. Magpie Media posted on X: “Elliot Anderson is Newcastle United through and through. Even at just 21 years old, he’s spent 14 years of his life associated with our football club, making 55 first team appearances along the way. He’s a young player with lots of talent and a bundle of potential.
“Despite this, the ‘Geordie Maradona’ is now being sacrificed to ensure we comply with some of the most anti-competitive rules this sport has and will ever see. If we’re being honest, it absolutely stinks.”
MGW transfer advice
Morgan Gibbs-White has established himself as one of Nottingham Forest’s key players since arriving at the City Ground two years ago.
The young playmaker has been instrumental in Forest remaining in the Premier League, and it would seem like madness for him to now be sold, just when Nuno Espirito Santo is looking to build a squad to be a force in the top-flight, rather than makeweights.
However, pressure to conform to the Premier League’s punitive profit and sustainability rules is prompting some unlikely transfers this summer - and MGW could yet fall into that category if Forest have to cut their metaphorical cloth accordingly.
Tottenham have been persistently linked with a move, while Newcastle United have also been talked of as a potential destination for a player bought for an initial £25m from Wolves.
As such, former England star Chris Waddle has been assessing which of his two former clubs would be the best destination for MGW if the England under-17 World Cup-winner should move on.
"I’ve watched Morgan Gibbs-White quite a lot over the last few years, and I like what I’ve seen of him," Waddle told Genting Casino.
"Nottingham Forest paid a lot of money to take him from Wolves after he wasn’t really playing, but the potential has always been there.
"When he was on loan at Sheffield United, I spoke to a couple of guys at the club who only had positive things to say about him. They said he was a very good pro and was very confident, which is something you don’t always get from younger players.
"The potential is definitely there. I would love to see what he could do playing for a top six or seven club, no disrespect to Nottingham Forest. If you put Gibbs-White into a team with better players, then he’s only going to improve. At times, he’s carried the burden of a poor Forest team, and that can take its toll.
"If he had to choose between Newcastle United and Tottenham, then I think Newcastle would be a better fit for him. He primarily plays in that number ten role or supporting the strikers, and I think he would complement Newcastle’s midfield.
"With James Maddison at Tottenham, I can’t see him playing in the role that he would want. Do Tottenham see Gibbs-White as more of a squad player or someone that can play in a number of positions?
"I can’t see him sitting on the bench at his next club, and there’s a danger that would happen if he joined Spurs. For me, he wouldn’t get into the team over James Maddison."
