Nottingham Forest could sign £17m “big talent” to replace Gibbs-White

There have been several standout players for Nottingham Forest this season, in what has been a fantastic campaign so far. The East Midlands side are flying in the Premier League, with Chris Wood their top goalscorer. The New Zealand striker has 12 goals to his name in the top flight.

Anthony Elanga has also been a standout player for the men in Garibaldi Red. The Manchester United academy graduate has three goals and four assists in the top flight. That is just three more goals and assists than the other first-choice winger for Forest, Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has two apiece.

Perhaps the star of the show for Forest this season, however, has been Morgan Gibbs-White.

Gibbs-White’s stats in 2024/25

It has been a season to remember for Forest number ten, Gibbs-White, after what was quite a slow start to the campaign. He has four goals and three assists in 16 top-flight games this term but has been especially profitable in the last few games.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man has scored or assisted six goals in his last six games across competitions. That included a goal and assist against Man United at Old Trafford in a 3-2 win at the start of December.

He is clearly highly regarded in the footballing world. Despite patchy form at the start of the season, former England interim manager Lee Carsely called him up to the national team and promptly gave him his debut. He called the 24-year-old

“difficult to play against”, which is high praise indeed.

It seems like Gibbs-White is back to his best, which is a huge benefit for Forest. However, he is believed to be of ‘keen interest’ to Premier League sides Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Aston Villa, who could all try and sign him, according to the Mail.

In the event of the Forest talisman leaving the club, they might well already have a replacement lined up.

Forest’s perfect Gibbs-White replacement

The player in question here is attacking midfielder Habib Diarra. According to a report from Asromalive.it earlier this week, the East Midlands outfit are targeting the midfielder, who could cost upwards of £17m. They could go up against fellow Premier League side Everton in the race to sign the 21-year-old.

Should Forest get a deal over the line to sign Diarra, they would be adding a “big talent” to the club. At least, that is what football talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as, which certainly bodes well for the City Ground faithful.

Indeed, the versatile midfielder has had a strong season so far in 2024/25 for Ligue 1 side Strasbourg. The Senegalese midfielder has scored four goals and has one assist in 15 French top-flight games this season, including one on the first day of the season.

He is also a brilliant leader, as shown by the fact he has captained the club in all the Ligue 1 games he has played, much like Gibbs-White in Nottingham.

Not only does he play a similar role to the Forest skipper, as an advanced number eight or number ten, but the numbers are also up there with the former Wolves man, too.

Statistically, you can see the similarities between the two when comparing them on FBref. Their ball-carrying 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 averages 4.65 progressive passes per 90 minutes, compared to the Forest playmaker’s 5.18 each game.

There is no doubt that losing Gibbs-White would be a huge blow for Forest. The attacking midfielder is the talisman of the East Midlands outfit and would not be easy to replace. Yet, they may have found someone who can.

For a fair price of just £17m, they could bring in a talented creative midfielder with an eye for goal, who is also a great leader. That could easily be a description of Gibbs-White. It certainly seems like Diarra could be a fantastic addition to the men in Garibaldi Red.