Following his treble-winning season north of the border, Tottenham Hotspur pounced to name Ange Postecoglou as their next head coach at the end of the 2022–2023 season.
The summer transfer window saw the arrival of James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Manor Solomon, Guglielmo Vicario, and Brennan Johnson, among others, for the Australian head coach, who had been hired from Celtic.
Spurs have struggled this season due to injuries and suspensions, but they are still one point outside of the top four in the Premier League and in fifth position as they aim to qualify for the Champions League the following season.
Timo Werner, on loan from German team RB Leipzig, was brought in during the January transfer window, which started for business last week. Radu Dragusin, on the other hand, is getting close to joining Genoa permanently for a fee over €30 million (£26 million).
Transfer news for Spurs: Morgan Gibbs-White.
Though the head coach might try to expand his alternatives in the middle of the park, Postecoglou might not be done with those two arrivals.
Morgan Gibbs-White, a center midfielder for Nottingham Forest, was identified by The Daily Mail at the end of 2023 as one of the players the team was watching coming into January.
They said that on December 30, Tottenham had dispatched scouts to observe him play for the Tricky Trees against Manchester United.
The England U21 international secured all three points for his team in the 82nd minute with a spectacular finish from the edge of the box, as seen above, to give his team a 2-1 victory.
The Daily Mail claimed that in January, Spurs were looking for a midfielder, a forward, and a center-back. They now have an attacker in Werner, and they appear to be close to acquiring a center-back in Dragusin. The only player left on their list is a midfielder.
Spurs should now move forward with their interest in Gibbs-White, as the stunning gem is a tried-and-true Premier League performer with room to grow and develop in the future.
By searching lower in the league for a fantastic creative midfield player, the team may be able to replicate the masterclass they performed with Maddison last summer.
Maddison’s statistical season
The England international had a fantastic start to the season but is currently sidelined due to an ankle injury that has kept him out of action for ten games.
After Spurs were demoted to the Championship the previous season, Leicester City offered him a five-year contract for an alleged £40 million.
Madison’s strong start to the season has put him in fantastic company, as the table above illustrates, as his statistics have been comparable to some of the finest players in the division, including colleague Heung-min Son.
The former Foxes player is now among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League for both progressive passes (9.91) and shot-creating actions (8.17) per 90. This demonstrates that he has been among the division’s most inventive and forward-thinking players at his position this season.
Maddison came to North London after returning from a season in which he scored ten goals and provided nine assists in thirty Premier League games for Leicester. Maddison has accumulated three goals and five assists in 11 league games this season.
As a result, he had already established himself in the Premier League for a team that was in the opposite position, which enabled him to start quickly for Spurs before to suffering an ankle injury.
The numbers that support Spurs’ decision to sign Gibbs-White
In the summer of 2022, Forest acquired Gibbs-White from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a potential £42.5 million in add-ons. He has since shown to be a fantastic asset to the team.
In 37 Premier League games during the 2022–2023 season, the English wizard netted five goals, provided eight assists, and created nine “big chances” to help his team escape dropping out of the top division.
When it came to Expected Assisted Goals (0.24) per 90, he was in the top 16% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the league and in the top 6% of forwards.
Morgan-White-Forest-Nottingham-Premier League
In 20 Premier League appearances this season, Gibbs-White has contributed two goals and three assists. In that period, the gifted player has also generated five “big chances” and 1.8 crucial passes per game.
His manner on the field has been described as “arrogant” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, who praised him as a “menace” in the last third of the game. This suggests that he may possess the same swagger that Maddison does during games.
Before moving to Forest, he played at the Championship level for Sheffield United in 2021–2022, and his performance there suggests he still has work to do at the top of the game.
At just 23 years old, Gibbs-White has lots of time remaining to grow and improve. In 35 league games while on loan from Wolves, he scored 11 goals, provided nine assists, and created 16 “big chances.”
This shows that the 23-year-old ace, who can play as a number eight or 10, has the ability to contribute as much to goals and assists as Maddison did.
Given that he hasn’t yet reached the highest end of those stats in the Premier League, it would be a risk, but if Gibbs-White lives up to his potential and performs as the former Leicester star has, it would be worthwhile.
