Morgan Gibbs-White has revealed that complications with his fiancée’s pregnancy played a crucial role in his decision to reject a move to Tottenham and commit his future to Nottingham Forest.
The 25-year-old midfielder was at the centre of one of the summer’s most dramatic transfer sagas, with Spurs convinced they had triggered his £60million release clause in July.
A medical was even scheduled, only for the deal to collapse after Forest threatened to report Tottenham to the Premier League over what they believed to be an illegal approach.
Forest resisted multiple approaches from Spurs — including a second bid above the £60m clause — before Gibbs-White performed a dramatic U-turn and signed a new three-year deal until 2028, described by the club as a ‘statement of intent’ from owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Gibbs-White explained that the decision went far beyond football. His partner, Britney De Villiers, recently gave birth to their second child after a difficult pregnancy.
‘Every footballer has personal goals and personal ambitions that they want to achieve,’ Gibbs-White said. ‘Mine is winning trophies, playing in the World Cup, playing in the Euros, playing Champions League football, just to be able to reach the maximum that I’m able to reach.
Midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White signed a new contract with Nottingham Forest last month
Gibbs-White and his romantic partner Britney De Villiers got engaged earlier in the summer
‘Obviously in the summer, everybody’s seen what was going on and whatever. But away from that, it was a really difficult period for me and my fiancée.
‘Having my second child, but there were a few complications with all of that. I believed in being professional, showing up every day and letting everything else take care of what it needs to do. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.
‘I’m delighted with my decision, more than happy. I think my fiancée is even more happy because she didn’t get to carry on with all the stress.’
Gibbs-White missed the start of Forest’s pre-season training camp in Portugal to be with his partner, who described her experience as a ‘high-risk pregnancy’ on social media from a hospital bed.
He returned to action on July 14 and featured in multiple friendlies before opening the new campaign with 84 minutes in Forest’s 3-1 victory over Brentford.
The England international, who has won four caps, insists his heart is now set on continuing his journey with Forest after helping the club qualify for Europe last season.
‘With everything that happened this summer, it was like it hit home a bit,’ he continued. ‘I’ve been through a lot with this club these past three years, and to feel like I was going to miss out on what we achieved last season sort of broke me a little bit.
‘And I wanted to go through this next stage with Forest and play Europa League football with them, because me and a few others were the ones that, three years ago we came in, this was our goal to stay in the league and try and push up.
De Villiers was pregnant with her and Gibbs-White’s second child when they got engaged
The pregnancy was complicated and De Villiers expressed her stress via Instagram in July
‘It’s a home from home, so I sort of had that broken-hearted feeling, like when you split with your first childhood girlfriend.’
Since joining from Wolves for £25m in 2022, Gibbs-White has become a key figure at the City Ground, producing seven goals and eight assists in the Premier League last term as Forest surged to a seventh-place finish.
He added: ‘I’ve got to look at what’s best for myself and my family. And I feel like every decision I’ve made, I’ve made it on my own back and the help of my family. I’ve not once regretted any decision that I’ve made in my career so far, so I’m going to stick to what I believe and everything happens for a reason.’
For Tottenham, Gibbs-White’s U-turn was the first of two high-profile frustrations in a bruising window. Just weeks later they thought they had Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze secured, only for Arsenal to hijack the deal at the last moment.
The double setback rekindled old anger among fans towards chairman Daniel Levy, who has faced criticism for failing to get deals over the line despite Spurs’ clear need for creativity following James Maddison’s long-term knee injury.
The pursuit of Manchester City winger Savinho remains ongoing, but the mood in north London is one of lingering regret.
