Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner has addressed the growing uncertainty surrounding the future of talismanic playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White, issuing a firm reality check after former manager Steve Cooper warned that the club faces a massive fight to keep hold of their prized asset.
Having successfully fended off intense interest from Tottenham Hotspur little more than 12 months ago, Forest are now staring down a ticking clock as Gibbs-White’s contract approaches its final two years.
With European heavyweights Bayern Munich reportedly monitoring his situation and Cooper publicly claiming on Sky Sports that top clubs will inevitably swoop in, Glasner admitted that the power ultimately lies in the 26-year-old England international’s hands.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s high-stakes Premier League clash against Arsenal at the City Ground, Glasner delivered a candid response regarding his star man’s long-term future on the banks of the Trent.
Glasner on Contract Dilemma: “Nobody Else Will Decide”
While Forest remain desperate to commit Gibbs-White to a new long-term deal, Glasner acknowledged that player ambition and career progression will dictate the final outcome.
With Gibbs-White entering the prime of his career and earning regular England call-ups, Glasner emphasized that the decision rests entirely with the player:
“Morgan will decide. Nobody else. There are almost two years left on his contract. It’s clear that we’re keen to keep him, but it’ll be his decision and what he’s thinking about his future and his career. Then there’ll be a decision taken – that’s what we have to accept. That’s how it is in life.”
Gibbs-White proved instrumental in securing Forest’s top-flight survival last season, delivering red-hot performances in the closing months of the campaign to keep the club afloat.
However, with Bayern Munich hovering and Cooper raising public alarm bells, Forest’s resolve will be tested in upcoming transfer windows if extension talks stall.
Impressing Thomas Tuchel: “If You Stop Learning, You Will Die”
In addition to transfer speculation, Gibbs-White faces immense pressure to maintain his international momentum under new England manager Thomas Tuchel ahead of next month’s national team camp.
Addressing areas where the playmaker can elevate his game to guarantee a spot in Tuchel’s starting XI, Glasner pointed toward clinical finishing while offering a striking German philosophy on self-improvement:
“I don’t know, it depends how he wants to play or have players in a certain position. Every manager has his own ideas. He could have had a few more goals already, he’s had some big chances. But I still think he has potential in every single aspect.
“I don’t know any player who cannot get better. I don’t know any person who can’t get better. In Germany there is a saying that if you stop learning, you will die.”
Muscle Injury Sweat Before Arsenal Showdown
Compounding Glasner’s head-to-head worries, Gibbs-White remains a major injury doubt for Sunday’s clash against Arsenal after suffering a minor muscle strain in last weekend’s 3-1 loss at Crystal Palace.
Should the No. 10 fail his late fitness test, Forest will be forced to face Mikel Arteta’s title chasers without their chief creator—a devastating blow for a side desperate to snap a winless streak on home soil that stretches back to April.
