West Ham United must consider signing Nottingham Forest’s chance-creation machine Morgan Gibbs-White this summer.
According to The Telegraph, the Tricky Trees must raise around £20 million in transfer sales before June 30 to avoid breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) again.
Forest were previously docked two points for financial infringement, a punishment that nearly cost them their Premier League status.
While they survived the 2023/24 season by the skin of their teeth, finishing six points above the drop zone, Forest are not out of the woods with PSR yet.
They’re under pressure to make a trading profit before the end of the month or risk another sanction from the Premier League.
West Ham should be looking to capitalise on their financial situation by launching a move for English forward Gibbs-White.
The 24-year-old was the lynchpin of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side and played a leading role in their survival.
Given his enormous quality, Forest will be extremely reluctant to part ways with the former England Under-21 international but may be powerless to resist a decent proposal.
Forest paid around £42.5m plus add-ons to sign Gibbs-White from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2022, and he has been a tremendous value-for-money addition.
Gibbs-White would be an incredible signing for West Ham
Gibbs-White was the standout performer in a side that struggled throughout the season, returning five goals and ten assists.
His creative prowess was also on display as he created a remarkable 16 big chances for his teammates while averaging two key passes per 90 minutes.
It will be tricky to pry a player of such quality from Forest, but signing Gibbs-White this summer would be a major coup for the Hammers.
Lucas Paqueta and James Ward-Prowse were our top creators last term (12 big chances each), but the Brazilian is facing an uncertain future amid allegations of breaching betting rules.
Gibbs-White’s creative ability would be an exceptional addition to Julen Lopetegui’s squad. He could be a game-changing signing in our bid to secure European football next term.
The English man is valued at around £33m on Transfermarkt, but a fee of around £40m could tempt Forest to sell.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com