The pros and cons of Tottenham signing Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White in January

[p]Aside from a 5-1 win in an earlier round of the Carabao Cup, the North Londoners have underperformed badly.[/p][h2]Pleasing on the eye but no goals scored[/h2][p]No goals in any of their Premier League games is a damning indictment of what the Italian is trying to achieve in N17.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Spurs[/a] were consistently trying to play out from the back during their [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/liverpool-lId4TMwf/tottenham-UDg08Ohm/?mid=0vdKBukB"]3-1 Carabao Cup defeat[/a] at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a], putting themselves under immediate pressure when so doing, and that saw boos emanate from the away end, which suggests that the fan base would rather see wins on the board than a style that's pleasing on the eye but is ultimately unsuccessful.[/p][image alt="Tottenham's current league position" id="678dbc5c-40db-4a96-9cce-f17bbc813d15" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="362c2d7f-143b-4819-b075-9e3c35958d23" original-width="2160" original-height="2700" /][p]Perhaps with so many new faces at the club, things were always going to end up this way, at least initially, and the Tottenham board do have to shoulder some of the blame.[/p][p]They can't be faulted for finally dipping into club coffers in a way that fans have been crying out for, for many years. However, to essentially give De Zerbi everything he wanted was always going to upset the balance of the team.[/p][infobox id="c5ce5f5a-ccb6-468f-9fce-bb4a330c372a" /][h2]17 players out, 10 in[/h2][p]For example, was there really any need to bring in 10 new players in one window and dispense with 17 more?[/p][p]Desperate times do call for desperate measures, but Spurs were still a Premier League team by the end of last season, just.[/p][p]So were things that desperate?[/p][embed guid="7dfcf019-a305-4faa-929d-8b70abbfdb47" url="https://x.com/SpursOfficial/status/2095217736666300802" social-type="twitter" /][p]Their [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/aston-villa-W00wmLO0/tottenham-UDg08Ohm/?mid=4Sl9Mxal"]last match before the international break[/a] sees them take on an [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aston-villa/W00wmLO0/"]Aston Villa[/a] side who also haven't won a top-flight game this season, and have scored just one goal.[/p][p]If ever a team were there for the taking, this would be the fixture. Three points here and it puts a whole different complexion on the international break, and would allow Spurs to reset before their next match against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Man Utd[/a] at Old Trafford, a ground where they've won just once in the last five games.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gibbs-white-morgan/beZNT1bB/"]Gibbs-White[/a] is of interest to Spurs in January[/h2][p]Whether or not Tottenham can turn their season around sooner rather than later, it would appear that De Zerbi isn't done in terms of his squad reshaping.[/p][p]Reports suggest that he is targeting a move in the January window for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nottingham/UsushcZr/"]Nottingham Forest[/a] talisman, Morgan Gibbs-White.[/p][embed guid="0be01ec7-7bcc-430f-9e10-ca610a42c589" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1943346490476269694?lang=en" social-type="twitter" /][p]The England international has been in fine form over the last 12 months and would be a huge loss to Forest, but he certainly isn't going to come cheap if Evangelos Marinakis sanctions a deal at all, given he stopped the Lilywhites from taking the now 26-year-old to North London in the summer of 2025, despite a deal being agreed.[/p][p]Signing Gibbs-White, whilst accepting he would strengthen the Tottenham squad, would arguably mean that other players are left out/moved on, so what exactly would Spurs be getting for such a significant spend, and would it be worth their while?[/p][h2]Super attacking numbers[/h2][p]His attacking exploits can't be faulted, as his 16 goals and six assists since the beginning of the 2025/26 campaign are the most of any Forest player.[/p][p]A 51.47% shot accuracy is only bettered by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/igor-jesus/zPQTw5fe/"]Igor Jesus[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/williams-neco/YVxu86Hs/"]Neco Williams[/a], whilst a 16.67% conversion rate can't be topped.[/p][image alt="Morgan Gibbs-White's career numbers" id="a9bdb168-a4ad-4808-9fe0-6470b8eaadbd" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="6b4944e5-4ad7-4a53-95a9-2a8ad53e48db" original-width="2160" original-height="2702" /][p]96 total shots taken is not only 11 more than any other player (Jesus), but is about a sixth of all shots taken by the entire squad, whilst the 35 he managed to get on target are also more than any of his colleagues have managed.[/p][p]With 58 chances created, 20 of which are determined as 'big' chances, and nine of which were on target, Gibbs-White is more prolific than his teammates in this area, too, showing just how important he remains as a provider as well as a scorer.[/p][p]A pass completion of 81.99% is perfectly acceptable, as are his 131 ball recoveries.[/p][h2]Is adding another new face a sensible move?[/h2][p]Though he can be a combative presence for his team, he does need to work on his one-on-one success, given that he managed to win just 150 of the 370 attempts for a 40.54% completion.[/p][p]A 64% tackle success rate could be considered excellent, until you take into account that Gibbs-White has only attempted 25 since the beginning of 25/26, winning 16 of them.[/p][embed guid="5a528f85-3dcb-4a59-b7df-ddb45a721b49" url="https://x.com/SpursOfficial/status/2092976920451231790" social-type="twitter" /][p]There are definitely elements of his game which would complement what Tottenham already have in situ, though the sensible option would surely be to allow the club's current new signings a few more months to bed in properly and find their feet, before deciding that going back into the transfer market is the best course of action.[/p][p]If things don't improve quickly in any event, De Zerbi might even be gone before the next chance to sign Gibbs-White arises...[/p][infobox id="8a8311c3-81b3-440e-8b49-36091db073d1" /]