There were several standout players for Nottingham Forest this season, in a fantastic campaign so far. The East Midlands team is successful in the Premier League and Chris Wood is their top scorer. The New Zealand forward has 12 goals to his name in the top.
Anthony Elanga was also a standout player for the men at Garibaldi Red. The Manchester United academy graduate has three goals and four assists in the Premier League. That’s just three more goals and assists than Forest’s other first-choice winger, Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has two each.
But maybe Forest was the star of this season Morgan Gibbs-White.
Gibbs-White’s statistics in the 2024/25 season
It’s been a season to remember for Forest number ten, Gibbs-White, after a rather slow start to the campaign. He has four goals and three assists in 16 top matches this term, but has been particularly profitable in the last few games.
The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man has scored or assisted six goals in his last six games in the competition. That includes a goal and an assist against Man United at Old Trafford in a 3-2 win at the start of December.
He is obviously highly regarded in the football world. Despite his poor form at the start of the season, former interim England coach Lee Carsely invited him to the national team and immediately gave him his debut. He called the 24-year-old “difficult to play against”, which is really high praise.
Gibbs-White appears to be back to his best, which is a huge asset for Forest. However, there is believed to be ‘strong interest’ from Premier League sides Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle United and Aston Villa, who could all try to sign him, according to the Mail.
In the event that the Forest Talisman leaves the club, they may already have a replacement ready.
Forest’s perfect replacement for Gibbs-White
The player in question is attacking midfielder Habib Diarra. According to a report by Asromalive.it earlier this week, the East Midlands side are targeting the midfielder, who could cost more than £17m. They could be up against second division club Everton in the race to sign the 21-year-old.
If Forest can get a deal over the line to sign Diarra, they will add a “big talent” to the club. At least that’s what it is football talent scout Jacek Kulig described him aswhich certainly benefits the City Ground faithful.
Indeed, the versatile midfielder has had a strong 2024/25 season so far. for Strasbourg from Ligue 1. The Senegalese midfielder has scored four goals and has one assist in 15 games of the French first division this season, including one on the first day of the season.
He is also a brilliant leader, as shown by the fact that he captained the club in every Ligue 1 game he played, much like Gibbs-White did at Nottingham.
Not only does he play a similar role to Forest’s captain, as an advanced number eight or ten, but the former Wolves man’s numbers are worse.
Statistically, you can see the similarities between the two when comparing them on FBref. Their carry numbers are good, with Diarra averaging 2.39 progressive carries per game and Gibbs-White just slightly more at 2.73.
Creatively, the Strasbourg midfielder averages 4.65 progressive passes per 90 minutes, compared to the Forest playmaker’s 5.18 per game.
|
Diarra & Gibbs-White compared |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (90 each) |
Diarra |
Gibbs-White |
|
Progressive mounts |
2.39 |
2.73 |
|
Progressive additions |
4.65 |
5.18 |
|
Key passages |
0.85 |
1.87 |
|
Actions to create a shot |
1.9 |
3.96 |
|
Ball recovery |
3.17 |
4.6 |
|
Statistics from FBref |
||
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 team and it would not be easy to replace him. However, 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 at Garibaldi Order.
