It remains to be seen whether Everton can do a deal to prise Morgan Gibbs-White from Wolverhampton Wanderers but with Frank Lampard in need of hungry, young players to reshape what has been an under-achieving squad, it seems obvious why the 22-year-old has caught the Blues’ eye. The Daily Mail has reported that Everton have had a £25million bid for Gibbs-White rejected by Wolves but Wolves may still look to sell the Stafford-born player – whose current contract expires in 2024 – while they can command a decent fee for him after talks over a new deal stalled while a piece in the i claims it is understood that the England Under-21s international is keen on a move to Goodison Park and there is optimism that a transfer can be structured which works for all parties.
Gibbs-White is the kind of versatile attacking player highly-valued in the modern game. Last season – the bulk of which he spent on loan at Sheffield United – he played 10 games at centre-forward, which brought five goals and five assists; nine on the right of midfield (three goals and one assist); nine as a central attacking midfielder (two goals and one assist); seven as a secondary striker (two goals and one assist); two as a right winger (one goal and two assists) and one in central midfield.
New director of football Kevin Thelwell knows Gibbs-White from his own time at Molineux when the player was a youngster breaking through at the academy where he was manager and if he was to move to the Blues then he would represent something of a throwback to the days when David Moyes – who himself came to the club from second tier Preston North End – would pluck some of the Championship’s brightest prospects and give them a chance to perform on the big stage such as Tim Cahill, Joleon Lescott and Jermaine Beckford. Currently back working under Bruno Lage, when Gibbs-White’s attributes are matched to others in Premier League players on Comparisonator’s Similarity Comparison, Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez is deemed to be the closest match on 74% followed by James Maddison of Leicester City on 48% but it’s his displays for the Blades last term that impress and suggest he could be worth taking a chance on.
