Nottingham Forest have to prepare for all outcomes as Morgan Gibbs-White’s move to Tottenham remains up in the air, with one potential deal arguably covering all bases.
All indications are that Gibbs-White has shown a brilliant attitude in Forest training this week, as the prospect of his departure to North London remains up in the air.
His attitude is particularly impressive as the Forest squad expected Gibbs-White to leave this summer, so the fact he’s still around is as much of a surprise as it is a relief.
With Evangelos Marinakis showing no sign of backing down in his issues with Tottenham, Gibbs-White’s future will be in the conversation for the foreseeable future. However, Forest could still sign a potential replacement in a deal that would cover every potential outcome.
Nottingham Forest presented with intriguing Bilal El Khannouss option
The Gibbs-White situation led to Edu and the recruitment team stepping up their search for a potential replacement if required, with Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss one of Forest’s options after his side’s relegation.
Reports have suggested that El Khannouss has a £22.5m release clause should Forest want to target the Moroccan, but an even more tempting option has been suggested by Tom Collomosse in the Daily Mail.
He said: “Mail Sport understands no club has proposed anything close to the Foxes’ valuation [for El Khannouss].
“One option to be considered is a year’s loan with an obligation to buy. El Khannouss signed a four-year deal, meaning his ‘book value’ is now about £15m.
“If he played well on loan in the Premier League for a season, his price would increase greatly in 12 months’ time, and a reduced book value would generate higher profit.”
While Collomosse is focused on the benefit of this structure for Leicester, the reality is that Forest could seriously benefit from a loan to buy for any Gibbs-White replacement right now, given the lack of clarity on the Englishman’s future.
A loan deal for Bilal El Khannouss could be perfect for Forest
Two goals and three assists in the Premier League last season saw El Khannouss show a capability to remain and improve at the level, while not showing the same quality as Gibbs-White.
However, he’d still provide useful quality to the Forest squad, and the potential of a loan deal gives Nuno Espírito Santo the chance to improve his effectiveness.
A loan would also offset the price of a permanent move, which could be delayed until the next season if there is an obligation clause, or even not taken up at all if just an option to buy.
This would give Forest the room to go out and purchase a higher-level replacement for Gibbs-White if he does go, with El Khannouss then seen more as a rotation option with room to improve, rather than needing to immediately perform to the levels of the departing talisman.
As a permanent signing, El Khannouss presented an interesting option, but as a loan, he could be one that’s hard to look past.
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