Legal standoff not expected to derail Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of rival PL star

If we think about this, the heart of the row is the £60m release clause in Gibbs-White’s contract at City Ground, and with the North Londoners having met it, a move to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should be in the clear. And speaking about a possible move, John Wenham, owner of the reputed Spurs podcast Lilywhites Rose, said Tottenham are within their legal rights, making Forest ‘contractually obligated’ to let the player move to North London.

In an exclusive interview with Tottenham News, Wenham said:

“I do think he’s going to be a Spurs player.

“I find the whole saga bizarre, if I’m being honest with you. At the end of the day, if Forest have an issue, that issue lies with the agent of the player; it doesn’t lie with Tottenham.

“Tottenham are aware of a £60m release clause. Tottenham have sent their email making an offer to Forest. At that point, they should have been able to have Gibbs-White come down, take a medical, and sign for Tottenham.

“If the player wants to go and it’s in the player’s contract, he has to be allowed to go. It’s as simple as that. You can’t ask somebody to sign a contract that includes a release clause and then say, ‘Well, actually, every single time it’s activated, we’re going to claim there has been a breach of confidentiality.’ It’s just not how basic UK contract law works.

“You can’t offer somebody something and then at the same time restrict access. If it’s in the contract, it’s in the contract. Tottenham have done exactly what is fair and right by making the appropriate offer for the player, and them digging their heels in this situation is quite frankly, just delaying everything.”

Singing Gibbs-White could be the end of attacking transfers at Tottenham this summer

If Tottenham do end up signing Gibbs-White, I think that it would be a pause to further attacking transfers in the ongoing summer transfer window, as the Lilywhites will have Mohammed Kudus, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Lucas Bergvall and Morgan Gibbs-White, all competing for advanced midfield roles.

There is a likeliness that Daniel Levy will end up shifting focus toward bringing in a defensive midfielder, especially given the inconsistencies that the North Londoners faced in the middle of the park last season.

As regards to Gibbs-White, hopefully this is resolved soon and he can join Thomas Frank’s squad on the pre-season tour in Asia.