Nottingham Forest’s side that won promotion back to the Premier League in the 2021/22 season will live long in the memory of their supporters.
Although much of that team now plays elsewhere, the men in Garibaldi Red that season wrote their names in the history books as the side who returned the Midlands club to the Premier League.
Despite struggling at the start of the campaign, Forest, managed by Steve Cooper, ended up finishing fourth in the second tier of English football. In the playoff final, the East Midlands outfit beat Huddersfield Town at Wembley to secure Premier League status again.
One of the standout players for Forest that year was Brennan Johnson.
Brennan Johnson’s Forest career
23-year-old winger Johnson came through the ranks at the City Ground. After a loan spell at Lincoln City, he eventually broke into the first team at Forest and became a crucial player, helping the club to promotion in 2021/22.
In total, the Welshman played 109 times for the club, scoring 29 goals and grabbing 12 assists. In the promotion season, his 16 goals and two assists in 46 Championship games, and two goals in three playoff games, ensured he could help bring his boyhood club back to the top flight of English football.
It is fair to say that, in his first season as a Premier League footballer, the Wales international impressed. He scored eight goals and grabbed three assists in 38 games as Forest survived by the skin of their teeth. He scored some crucial goals, but perhaps none more so than both strikes in a 2-0 win at home to Leicester City, who ended up being relegated themselves.
Sadly for Forest fans, he left his boyhood club for pastures anew on deadline day in 2023. Tottenham Hotspur paid £47.5m to sign Johnson from Forest, which was a record sale for the club.
There is no doubt it was a big loss for the East Midlands side, and they could be in danger of losing another star for perhaps an even bigger fee.
The £60m star who Forest could lose
According to a report last week from the Mail, Morgan Gibbs-White is someone who is of ‘keen interest’ to several Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
At this stage, a price is not clear should a deal materialise. However, Gibbs-White was valued at a reported £60m over the summer, with the club likely looking to make a profit on their initial investment.
There is no doubt that losing Johnson was a disappointing thing for Forest, even if the club did not stand in his way when the right price arrived. Losing Gibbs-White, however, could arguably be even worse.
He is the main man in a side flying this season under Nuno Espirito Santo. Forest are currently third in the Premier League on 40 points, the same amount as second place Arsenal and just six points off leaders Liverpool.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 thrashing away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
There is no doubt that Gibbs-White’s four goals and three assists in 16 games are a big reason for that form. Initially, the 24-year-old started the season slowly, with just one goal in his first ten appearances.
However, in the last six games, he has really kicked on, with an impressive six goals and assists in his last six games. It is certainly no coincidence that his electric form has coincided with Forest winning six games in a row.
|
Gibbs-White form last 6 PL games |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Opponent |
Goals |
Assists |
Chances created |
Dribbles completed |
Duels won |
|
Man United |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
5 |
|
Aston Villa |
0 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
|
Brentford |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
9 |
|
Spurs |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
|
Everton |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
|
Wolves |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
|
Stats from Sofascore |
|||||
Losing a man with 15 goals and 21 assists in 96 games across competitions would be a huge blow for Nuno and his squad. Those donning Garibaldi Red this season are doing an exceptional job, spearheaded by Gibbs-White.
It was never going to be easy to replace Johnson, yet Forest have found a man who is filling the boots of his former teammate pretty well, to say the least.
The last thing they need is for Gibbs-White to leave, meaning they would lose another of their talismanic attackers.
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