Tottenham Hotspur might have been one of the busiest Premier League outfits in the transfer market since Ange Postecoglou was selected as manager last year, but further work is expected after the 2023/24 campaign concludes.
A blazing start to a new chapter had left a giddying feeling among the fans, but the plain realities that a long and winding season has presented have served as a better measure of the squad's current level.
While fifth-placed Spurs are hopeful of qualifying for the Champions League, last weekend's 4-0 thrashing against Newcastle United has allowed Aston Villa to create a three-point lead in the top four.
With English sides dropping like flies in Europe, hopes of a fifth place in the continent's elite club competition next term through the co-efficient rankings look decidedly slender.
Tottenham will need to fight hard in the Premier League to leapfrog Unai Emery's side, increasing chances of signing top targets.
Spurs lining up Premier League star
According to Football Insider, Tottenham are preparing to launch a bid to sign Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White this summer, though will face concerted competition from Premier League rivals Newcastle United.
With Tottenham said to be in pole position for the 24-year-old's signature, however, Postecoglou could add a perfect additional dimension to his team ahead of a likely return to European competition next season.
Arsenal have also registered an interest in the player, with reports suggesting that a bid of £50m would be enough to tempt the City Ground side to sell.
Morgan Gibbs-White's season in numbers
Forest signed Gibbs-White from Wolverhampton Wanderers in a deal worth £42.5m in 2022, with the talented midfielder's move raising a few eyebrows.
Still, he'd established his technical quality and potential on loan at Sheffield United and the Tricky Trees were convinced that they had got their hands on a top-class talent.
And their faith was rewarded last season, with the £80k-per-week star playing a talismanic role in Steve Coopers' side's safety-preserving return to the top-flight, having been hailed as a "real character and leader" for his club by Spurs pundit John Wenham.
First 17 games
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Last 15 games
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Stats via Transfermarkt
Also praised for his "magic tricks" by reporter Jamie Martin, the dynamic ace has really come alive in the second half of the current campaign and might just be the key to success.
As per Sofascore, he has complemented his 12 goal contributions from 32 Premier League fixtures this season by creating 12 big chances, also averaging 1.9 key passes, 1.3 dribbles, 4.6 ball recoveries and 5.3 successful duels per match.
Gibbs-White also, as per FBref, ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for aerial duels won per 90, denoting his excellent commitment to winning the ball back and the spring in his step, only standing at 5 foot 9.
He's, humorously, been described as the "Aldi Jude Bellingham" by analyst Raj Chohan, and while this is something of a double-edged compliment, it does highlight Gibbs-White's high-level traits and how they could make a marked improvement on Postecoglou's team.
The "Aldi Jude Bellingham"
Jude Bellingham might as well have been grown in a laboratory, such is the 20-year-old's prodigious talent, excelling at the world's most prestigious football club following his £115m transfer to the Spanish capital from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
A multi-functioning, many-faceted midfielder, Bellingham wreaked fear onto the opposition following a blistering, unexplainable start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring with ferocious consistency and currently boasting 20 goals and ten assists from 35 matches for his team.
Described as a "proper superstar" by broadcaster Dan Walker after Los Blancos dumped defending Champions League winners Manchester City on penalties, the England international is destined for stardom. Should England find a men's Ballon d'Or winner in the near future, he is him.
As per FBref, Bellingham ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 2% for pass completion, the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 10% for interceptions, the top 6% for blocks and the top 18% for aerial wins per 90.
Gibbs-White is not Bellingham, nor, really, is he the 'Aldi Jude Bellingham.' Gibbs-White possesses his own skill set and he would make an impression at Tottenham based on this fact, not that fact he offers intelligent movement, sweet pivoting motions when collecting on the turn, and deft dribbling to draw a certain semblance.
But what is pertinent is the robust player's athleticism and tactical flexibility, covering much ground across a range of positional roles this season and finding success in each.
His ability to play off focal points and blend his direct threat with playmaking quality makes him a great partner for Spurs skipper Heung-min Son, who is something of a protean attacking player himself.
Son has compensated for Harry Kane's summer sale superbly this season, often playing in a centre-forward position, scoring 15 goals and providing nine assists for his teammates across 29 Premier League matches.
He is invariably dangerous, in large part due to his vast array of tools, and even when fielded at the spearhead he's dropping deeper, playing balls forward, seeking out passages and movements from his teammates.
Gibbs-White would be a masterful addition, with his unceasing supply of creativity setting Son up while his forays into the final third will allow the South Korean phenom to return the favour.
Postecoglou's system is built on fluidity and hard-working commitment from his players, with Gibbs-White undoubtedly suited for such a style of play.
While Tottenham have a healthy bunch of impressive offensive players, Gibbs-White could provide the attacking midfield with a Bellingham-like presence to boost Son, serve as a foil for James Maddison and ensure that the club continue to rise under Postecoglou's guidance.
Spurs line up move for £60m star who'd be their new Eriksen
The Spurs target would be a rival for James Maddison.
ByTom Lever
