Rayan Ait-Nouri bursts down the left and fires a fierce delivery into the penalty area; One that fizzed past the Fulham defence and rolled neatly into Morgan Gibbs-White’s path. It looked harder to miss. The most open of open goals.
Seconds later, Gibbs-White was burying his face into the Molineux turf, his frustration evident after firing the ball vertically into row Z.
A missed opportunity; Literally, and metaphorically.
What next for Morgan Gibbs-White after Wolves sign Matheus Nunes?
Gibbs-White, returning to Wolverhampton after an outstanding loan spell at Sheffield United, certainly deserved a chance to prove that he had what it takes to nail down a starting place at his parent club.
But while the sample size is admittedly small, Gibbs-White has done relatively little in his two Premier League starts this term to suggest that he can be a difference-maker at a Wolves side struggling to turn possession into goals.
He was underwhelming in the 2-1 defeat to Leeds United. And while there have been flashes of quality, another disappointing display in Saturday’s goalless draw with Fulham perhaps spells a premature end to his time in the starting XI.
Especially with Matheus Nunes arriving in a club-record £38 million deal from Sporting Lisbon. Nunes, one of the most exciting attacking midfielders in European football, should slot straight into Lage’s starting XI; A debut on the cards this weekend against Tottenham Hotspur.
And Gibbs-White is perhaps the most likely to make way for Nunes. Not just from the starting XI, but from Molineux as a whole.
Nottingham Forest still want Gibbs-White
According to The Athletic, Nottingham Forest have not given up on signing the England u21 international before September’s transfer deadline. Forest have made a number of offers this summer; Most recently a club-record package that could rise to a staggering £35 million (The Guardian).
Gibbs-White has just two years left on his contract. And Lage has already indicated that offers may have to be considered, with the 22-year-old yet to agree an extension.
“I want him. But we need to understand that one thing is what I want and the other thing is the question of the market,” Lage explains. “We cannot have players that go until the end of their contract.
“Morgan is a player that in two or three years can be one of the best players in the country. Wolves want to keep him and he wants to play for Wolves. Now we need to find the best deal and the club has time to talk with him.”
Gibbs-White ‘wants to play’ for Wolves. How many opportunities he’ll have to do just that, with Matheus Nunes through the door, remains to be seen.
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