Spurs in discussions to sign £50m Gibbs-White alternative

Tottenham Hotspur were gearing up to welcome Morgan Gibbs-White to Thomas Frank’s early-stage project, with Daniel Levy having overseen a £60m approach for the Nottingham Forest playmaker.

But he has since penned a new deal at the City Ground, with the Tricky Trees claiming Spurs made an illegal approach for the Three Lions star.

He’s now sign a new deal at the City Ground. It’s a bitter pill to swallow after transfer guru Fabrizio Romano had placed his catchline, ‘Here we go”, on the move, signifying a done deal.

However, Spurs must now move forward, and Frank is assessing his options, with sights still set on a new midfield playmaker.

Spurs lining up Gibbs-White alternative

Gibbs-White would have been perfect for the Tottenham project. The succession of recent pre-season draws have illustrated the need for more spark in the midfield, and it’s something Frank is now placing emphasis on, having already signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United for a £55m fee.

Romano has confirmed that, while the Gibbs-White deal is dead, the Lilywhites have already started working on alternatives, saying: “They’re working on it [alternative targets for Gibbs-White. As soon as I know, I will tell you.”

Well, according to reporter Graeme Bailey, internal discussions have begun over the potential signing of Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, who is expected to leave Anfield this summer due to a lack of playing time under Arne Slot.

Elliott, 22, would likely be open to the move, Champions League competitors as Tottenham are, and he would come in at a cheaper price than Gibbs-White, valued at £50m.

Why Spurs should sign Harvey Elliott

Having joined Liverpool from Fulham for a compensation fee of about £4m in 2019, aged only 16, Elliott has since established himself as a fixed part of the wider Reds squad, featuring 147 times and notching 35 goal contributions.

Former Liverpool U18s head coach Neil Critchley said in the past that the England U21 superstar is able to produce “some real bits of magic” on the ball, and his ability to shift between the right flank and attacking midfield even suggests that he could bring shades of Dejan Kulusevski to Frank’s first-team squad.

Kulusevski, 25, played a crucial part in the Ange Postecoglou era, really coming into his own as an all-action central midfielder last season, having previously played out on the right.

He’s injured right now, but there’s no disputing how important he is to this Tottenham team, with Sofascore recording that he scored seven goals and supplied four assists in the Premier League last year, having also averaged 2.1 key passes and 4.1 successful duels per game.

Elliott lacks the Sweden international’s completeness, but he’s a veritable wizard across his areas of expertise, and would certainly add a ball-playing dimension that was targeted through the acquisition of Gibbs-White.

The left-footer’s ability to score goals and create chances aplenty offers shades of Kulusevski, though the Tottenham man has more of a full-throttle engine about him, Elliott’s technical skill is up there with the very best.

As per FBref, the Liverpool man ranked last season among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for all of goals plus assists, passes attempted and progressive passes, as well as the top 15% for goal-creating actions per 90.

Considering the dimension it would add to Tottenham, Frank must take these internal discussions and push ahead with a formal approach for Liverpool’s talented prospect.

Not only would he be a dream Gibbs-White alternative, but he’d bring a sense of Kulusevski’s flair to the side.

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