Morgan Gibbs-White Proves Why Manchester City Transfer Must Happen

Having been the center of attention for most of the second half, it was only right that Morgan Gibbs-White faced the cameras in the wake of Nottingham Forest’s 0-2 defeat to Manchester City.

Dominated in the first 45 minutes by the resurgent Mancunians, the Red masses who’d descended on Wembley for this first showpiece event in a generation had precious little to shout about.

But Anthony Elanga’s introduction at halftime changed the game’s dynamic; suddenly, there was real danger on the counter-attack.

As is often the case when Forest is at its dynamic best, Morgan Gibbs-White was constantly on the ball and pulling the strings.

His first touch and passing range were as sublime as ever, but what caught the eye was his ability to get himself into goalscoring positions.

First, he rattled the crossbar with a jaw-dropping left-footed strike and then hit the post, having seized a loose pass from Josko Gvardiol.

“When the first one hit the crossbar, I had a feeling it wasn’t our day,” he told the media afterward, “the second one, I round the keeper; it’s a tight angle but I think I should score and that then would’ve given us energy, everyone in the stadium energy to go again. The boys kept fighting, we showed resilience, we can take that away.

“If we get one, I feel like we’d have got another one. It was just the flow of the game in that moment. We had a few good chances we could’ve scored from but all I can put it down to is that it just wasn’t our day. We had a game plan everyone believed in. I thought we executed it well in the first half, apart from their goal.”

“Anthony [Elanga] is a massive threat for us, and he showed that in the second half. We have to put it behind us now. We enjoyed it while it lasted, but now we have to focus on getting into the Champions League. We have five big finals – we’ll give it everything and hope for the best.”

A lesser player might have shied away from the cameras after such disappointment, especially when they felt personally responsible.

But it was a sign of the leader the 25-year-old has become that he was the one to send a message to the thousands of Nottingham Forest supporters who’d traveled to London.

“It’s devastating,” Gibbs-White told the broadcaster ITV. “I feel sorry for the fans. I hold my hands up and apologize – I should’ve scored at least one of them. I think as a team we didn’t start well, what we were hoping to do. In the second half, we came out fighting, and we gave it everything, and the support never stopped until the last second.

“We thank them a lot for that; they’ve been consistent throughout the season. I’m just lost for words. We gave everything. It’s sad to go out like that, but we keep going and we still have the Premier League to focus on.”

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man is right. There is plenty to keep the Forest faithful enthused until the end of the season. The unexpected push for a spot in the Champions League is reaching the final crucial stages. Just a handful of winnable games stand between a return to Europe’s elite competition.

However, whether Gibbs-White tastes Champions League soccer in the red of Forest next season is another matter.

His exceptional performances have caught the attention of last season’s champions, and Manchester City is reportedly interested in hiring him to replace the exiting Kevin De Bruyne.

Earlier this month, ex-Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider he was expecting contact between the two clubs over a deal.

“He’s not a like-for-like replacement for Kevin De Bruyne if that’s what Man City are looking for,” Brown said.

“He’s a different type of player, he’s a worker and a runner and he can change a game, but he’s not necessarily a creative player.

“Of course, they will know what he can bring to their team and I hear Pep Guardiola has been impressed. A lot of it will depend on whether there is a deal to be done.

“City will get in contact with Forest to establish what it would take to sign him this summer, and if they tell them he’s not for sale, I expect they’ll look at other options.

“Gibbs-White is a perfect fit in that Forest team, so I don’t expect they’ll let him go that easily.”

Financial Fair Play regulations might force Forest to sell a significant asset in the summer, as has depressingly been the case for the league’s ambitious and upwardly mobile teams.

But the Reds will be expected to strike a hard bargain for one of their best players. As was the case when Brennan Johnson was sold to Tottenham Hotspur last year, a high fee would be demanded for one of England’s most exciting midfielders.

Based on his performance at Wembley and post-match leadership, Manchester City is eager to have him in its ranks.