The January transfer window is fast approaching, and Morgan Gibbs-White is expected to be the subject of ridiculous transfer speculation. But any talk of his exit in January is utter nonsense.

Nottingham Forest’s early season struggles are sowing seeds of doubt within Morgan Gibbs-White’s mind over his future if transfer reporter Ekrem Konur is to be believed, but this is feels like a very unlikely outcome for a variety of factors.

Nottingham Forest aren’t going to sell Morgan Gibbs-White

To put things straight, there is zero chance of Evangelos Marinakis selling Morgan Gibbs-White in the middle of this season. It was even reported by Ben Jacobs that amid interest from Chelsea, Marinakis wouldn’t even answer the phone in January. Forest are not a selling club that are pushed around, only selling when it suits and the price is staggering.

Marinakis proved this by holding out for £116m to sell Elliot Anderson and if Gibbs-White was to leave he would also likely have an asking price that would send shockwaves through the Premier League, especially mid-season.

The market precedents which prove Gibbs-White won’t be leaving

• The English Premium: Proven English talent that dictate at Premier League level are among the rarest commodities in European football, meaning a premium is usually slapped onto any asking price.
• Precedent at the City Ground: Forest held out for nearly £50m when Tottenham came calling for Brennan Johnson and £116m for Elliot Anderson. Gibbs-White is even more fundamental to Forest than either of these players.
• Market Benchmarks: Morgan Rogers cost £117m in the summer while £85m transfers for players like Savio means anything less for Gibbs-White should be an automatic non-starter.

Forest’s struggles aren’t going to change this situation and in fact probably lessens any chance of the 26-year-old leaving in January. Although Forest’s underlying data suggests the current pain will be short lived.

The summer could be a different story for Gibbs-White as his contract expires in 2028, meaning no extension will likely mean Forest decide that it is time to cash in with plenty of interest expected. But he won’t be going anywhere in January.

Gibbs-White has been way better than you think this season

Forest have had a nightmare start to the season, but it could all flip really quickly as performances are deserving of a European football chase. While not living up to his own gloriously high standards, Gibbs-White has quietly been having a strong season.

Gibbs-White ranks in the 100th percentile among his positional peers in the Premier League for chances created and big chances created with 20 and seven respectively. He also ranks in the 100th percentile for expected assists (2.05) and in the 93rd for expected goals (2.43), showcasing how he has been much better than stats show.

It is just a matter of time until Gibbs-White’s expected goals and assists are reflected in his actual goals and assists and this will likely coincide with Liam Delap scoring, Dan Ndoye scoring and everything coming together for Forest.

Oliver Glasner is on the cusp of something special and patience will be rewarded, the best of Gibbs-White is yet to come.