There is a genuine air of optimism swirling around the City Ground this summer.
Nottingham Forest supporters are looking ahead with real excitement about what the future holds under new head coach Oliver Glasner.
Even the departure of Star in a club-record £116 million sale to Manchester City has not dampened the mood. Instead, it has reinforced the belief that this is a club moving in the right direction.
Forest are preparing to embark on their fifth successive campaign in the Premier League. That alone is a remarkable achievement for a side that only climbed out of the Championship under Steve Cooper a few seasons ago.
Last year may have tempered some of the wilder expectations, yet the fact that they rose high enough to reach the Europa League still speaks volumes about the potential that exists at this historic club.
In Oliver Glasner, the Tricky Trees have secured a talented and proven coach. The Austrian previously lifted the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt before making the move to England. At Crystal Palace he guided the club through what many supporters still regard as a golden era, blending tactical organisation with attacking fluency.
Those credentials have given Forest fans genuine hope that the next chapter could be even brighter.
Losing Anderson is a significant blow. The midfielder had become a key creative force and his departure will leave a sizeable gap in the engine room. Yet it is far from impossible for Forest to continue progressing. Others will simply need to step up. And in Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest already possess the perfect talisman to lead that charge.
Why Morgan Gibbs-White Is Forest’s New Talisman
Last season, Gibbs-White truly grew into his skin as Nottingham Forest’s star attacking midfielder. What began as promising performances evolved into something more consistent and influential. By the end of the campaign he was widely recognised as one of the finest number tens in the Premier League. His development into a regular goal threat across 2026 only strengthened that reputation.
The numbers tell a clear story. Gibbs-White finished among the league’s top scorers, underlining just how far he has come in front of goal. His contribution went far beyond simply finding the net. He became the player teammates looked to when a moment of quality was required.
| Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Morgan Gibbs-White | Nottingham Forest | 12 |
| Igor Thiago | Brentford | 11 |
| Ollie Watkins | Aston Villa | 10 |
| Viktor Gyökeres | Arsenal | 9 |
| João Pedro | Chelsea | 9 |
Vitor Pereira’s short but impactful reign saw Gibbs-White deepen further into his focal role. The Portuguese manager was full of praise. “He has a lot of talent in his pocket, a lot of team spirit and character, and he leads the team,” Pereira said. Those words captured the essence of what the 26-year-old has become at the City Ground.
It is not only goals that support Gibbs-White’s growing status. He ranks among the most effective aerial duellers in the Premier League. Despite constantly seeking out ambitious ranged deliveries, he still completed 81 per cent of his passes last season. That combination of vision, physicality and technical quality makes him the natural leader of Forest’s attack.
Oliver Glasner will almost certainly look to elevate Gibbs-White into an even more central role next season. The playmaking Englishman has the ability to dictate games from advanced areas. Yet if he is to reach the next level and drag Forest even higher, he will need a more reliable centre-forward operating ahead of him.
Nottingham Forest Leading the Race for a Premier League Striker
Chris Wood remains a popular figure among the Forest faithful, but the veteran is getting older and spent a considerable amount of time in the treatment room last season. Igor Jesus has shown flashes of real talent, yet he is still to prove himself as a consistent, high-level Premier League goalscorer. The need for a proven centre-forward is clear.
With that in mind, Nottingham Forest are understood to be leading the race to sign Chelsea’s Liam Delap. The i Paper has revealed that Chelsea have placed a £50 million price tag on the striker they signed from Ipswich Town for £30 million only a year ago. After a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge, Delap is available for the right offer, and Forest appear determined to make a late push.
A last-gasp deal of this magnitude would represent a major statement of intent. Delap is a powerful, mobile forward who thrives on service from creative players. Pairing him with Morgan Gibbs-White could create exactly the kind of chaos opposing defences dread. Gibbs-White’s ability to find pockets of space and deliver dangerous passes would be the perfect complement to Delap’s runs in behind and presence in the box.
Forest have already shown they are capable of punching above their weight. Adding a £50 million striker in the final stages of the transfer window would send a clear message that the club is not content to stand still. For Gibbs-White, it would mean a reliable focal point to play off. For Glasner, it would provide another attacking option to implement his preferred style. And for the supporters, it would fuel the growing belief that something special could be building at the City Ground.
The coming weeks will reveal whether Forest can get the deal over the line. What is already certain is that the combination of a proven coach, a talismanic midfielder and a potential high-profile striker arrival has created genuine excitement. Nottingham Forest are no longer just surviving in the Premier League. They are looking to establish themselves as a side capable of causing problems for anyone on their day.
If Liam Delap does walk through the doors at the City Ground, the partnership with Morgan Gibbs-White could be one of the most intriguing attacking duos in the division. Chaos, in the best possible sense, may be just around the corner.