Nottingham Forest ace Morgan Gibbs-White has been warned after he emerged as a potential transfer target for Man City ahead of the summer window.
Danny Murphy is not convinced of the wisdom if the attacker does head to the Etihad to join Pep Guardiola‘s side at the end of this season.
Last week, Kevin De Bruyne announced he is set to leave Man City when his contract expires in the summer.
That has inevitably left the club facing a challenge to replace the Belgian for next season and beyond, with potential targets starting to emerge.
It has emerged that both Gibbs-White and Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz are being considered by Man City as possible options to replace De Bruyne.
Danny Murphy makes Kalvin Phillips comparison amid transfer speculation
Gibbs-White has of course enjoyed an excellent season to help put Nottingham Forest on the verge of Champions League qualification, while also reaching the FA Cup semi finals where they will face Man City.
All of that led to some shock when Gibbs-White was initially left out of Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad last month.
So while Murphy is full of praise for the 25-year-old, he has questioned whether this summer would be the best time for him to move to the Etihad, given Kalvin Phillips’ struggles since joining Man City as a similar profile of player.
| Morgan Gibbs-White key Nottingham Forest stats 2024/25 | Total (as per Transfermarkt) |
| Appearances | 30 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 9 |
| Yellow Cards | 7 |
| Red Cards | 1 |
While discussing this potential move for Gibbs-White on talkSPORT, the former Liverpool and Fulham midfielder said: “The question is well: would he go? Will he go?…
“Probably, but these is also you’ve got to ask the question, I mean, I don’t know how well paid he could be at Forest, but maybe a year on the Champions League journey if they get in it, rather than going to City and being bit part, you know we’ve seen Kalvin Phillips’ demise.”
Murphy did however also go on to note that most players are likely going to back themselves in the situation Gibbs-White is in, especially with the opportunity to play under a manager such as Guardiola.
Morgan Gibbs-White should back himself over Man City move
Football Insider Verdict
The story of Phillips is a rather cautionary tale for players who may be considering a move to Man City in the future.
After joining from Leeds, the midfielder never settled or established himself at the Etihad, and is now struggling for games while on loan at relegation-bound Ipswich.
That means there is already talk about a potential permanent departure from Man City for Phillips in the summer transfer window.
But while there are similarities with Gibbs-White in that he too would be coming from a so-called smaller Premier League club, he may be confident of avoiding a similar outcome.
The 25-year-old has shown this season he can make an impact with a club further up the Premier League table than Phillips did with Leeds, and be a key contributor to their success, given Forest are in line to qualify for the Champions League and the Whites barely scraped free of relegation two years ago.
He is therefore in a good position to succeed with Man City, and other attacking midfield options could be set to follow De Bruyne out of the club.
As a result there should be plenty of chances for Gibbs-White to establish a place in Guardiola’s side if he makes the move, and avoid some of those concerns that may be raised about this transfer.
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