There were many outstanding players Nottingham Forest This season, great campaign so far. The East Midlands side are riding high in the Premier League, with Chris Wood the club's top scorer. The New Zealand striker has 12 goals to his name On the top flight.
Anthony Elanga was also a standout men's player for Garibaldi Red. The Manchester United academy graduate has three goals and four assists in the Championship. That means three goals and more assists than Forest's other top winger, Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has scored two goals each.
Perhaps the star of Forest's display this season has been him Morgan Gibbs White.
Gibbs-White stats in 2024/25
It has been a season to remember for Forest's number ten, Gibbs White, after a very slow start to the season. He has four goals and three assists In 16 Premier League matches This term but has been particularly profitable in the last few games.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers player has scored or assisted six goals in his last six matches across competitions. This included a goal and an assist against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a 3-2 win at the start of December.
He is clearly highly regarded in the football world. Despite patchy form at the start of the season, former England caretaker manager Lee Carcelli called him up to the national team and gave him his immediate debut. The 24-year-old called “He's difficult to play against,” which is really commendable.
Gibbs-White appears to be back to his best, which is a huge benefit for Forest. However, he is believed to be of strong interest from Premier League clubs Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Aston Villa, who could all try to sign him. According to the post.
Should the jungle mascot leave the club, they may already have a replacement.
Forrest's ideal replacement for Gibbs-White
The player in question here is attacking midfielder Habib Diarra. According to a report from Asromalive.it Earlier this week, the East Midlands outfit targeted the midfielder, who could cost upwards of £17m. They could face Premier League side Everton in the race to sign the 21-year-old.
If Forest get a deal to sign Diarra, he will add a 'huge talent' to the club. At least, that's what it is Football talent scout Jacek Kulig described him aswhich certainly bodes well for the City Ground faithful.
Indeed, the versatile midfielder has had a solid season so far in 2024/25 with Ligue 1 side Strasbourg. The Senegalese midfielder scored four goals and provided one assist In 15 matches in the French League this season, including one on the first day of the season.
He is also a great leader, as evidenced by the fact that he has captained the club in all the Ligue 1 matches he has played, like Gibbs-White at Nottingham.
Not only does he play a similar role to a jungler, as a forward number eight or number ten, but the numbers are there with the former Wolves man as well.
Statistically, you can see the similarities between the two when… Compare it on FBref. The ball carry numbers stack up well, with Diarra averaging 2.39 progressive carries per game and Gibbs-White only slightly more, with 2.73.
Creatively, the Strasbourg midfielder is averaging 4.65 progressive passes per 90 minutes, compared to the Forest playmaker's 5.18 per game.
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Compare Diarra and Gibbs White |
||
|---|---|---|
|
State (per 90) |
Diarrhea |
Gibbs White |
|
Holds progressivism |
2.39 |
2.73 |
|
Progressive passes |
4.65 |
5.18 |
|
Key passes |
0.85 |
1.87 |
|
Snapshot creation procedures |
1.9 |
3.96 |
|
Retrieve the ball |
3.17 |
4.6 |
|
Statistics from FBref |
||
There is no doubt that losing Gibbs-White will be a huge blow for Forest. The attacking midfielder is the East Midlands club's talisman and he will not be easy to replace. However, maybe they found someone who could.
For a fair price of just £17m, they can bring in a talented, creative midfielder with an eye for goals, who is also a great leader. This could easily be a description of Gibbs-White. It certainly looks like Diarra could be a great addition to the men at Garibaldi Red.
