In a recent interview with Football Insider, pundit Alan Hutton urged Aston Villa to move in for Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White this summer. Hutton said,
“He’s (Gibbs-White) an outstanding footballer, he showed that last season, what a signing he would be.
“He really kind of put Nottingham Forest on his shoulders at times and really drove the forward and created opportunities and scored goals.
“Every time I read something about Villa they’re interested in somebody, I mean they’ve already signed quite a lot.
“It just seems like every name, whether it be Conor Gallagher, now it’s Morgan Gibbs-White, there’s always somebody.
“You kind of need to filter through it and see, is it really true? I don’t know.
“He is a real good player, top quality. You’ve got [Emi] Buendia as well to come back, Villa have got a lot of options.
“How do you fit them all in? All these guys, I just don’t know what the manager is going to do at this moment in time.
“In the next few weeks, we will probably know more, but of course, he’s a good player and you need options going into the Champions League.”
Gibbs-White’s Impressive Numbers In Premier League Football
Gibbs-White had a great campaign at Nottingham recently as he was responsible for putting in a run of influential displays for them in the opponent’s half. The Stafford-born talent made 42 appearances for the Midlands club last season, netting six goals and securing ten assists in all competitions.
The 24-year-old was a positive influence in the final third and deserves credit for averaging 1.0 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 0.5 clearances, 1.9 shots, 2.0 key passes, 1.5 crosses and 1.2 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He has even distributed the ball well based on his pass success rate of 76.9% in the top tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
Is Gibbs-White A Good Fit For Aston Villa Boss Unai Emery?
Gibbs-White is a good tackler of the ball and usually works hard for his team defensively. He can strike the ball with power and precision from long range. The English sensation is a decent playmaker in the final third and can also make a few driving runs with the ball in the opposition half. He mainly operates in the number ten position but can also serve as a box-to-box midfielder or as a right-winger if required.
Gibbs-White would add more firepower to Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery’s attack. He has what it takes to nail down a regular first-team spot at Villa Park in the coming years. At 24, Gibbs-White will only get better with each season. Hence, he would be a great fit for Aston Villa‘s needs in the long run.
