'Messy, horrible - Forest don't want this and Gibbs-White doesn't either'
Forest are considering legal action against the north London club as it is believed they are looking at whether a specific confidentiality agreement in the £60m release clause in Gibbs-White's contract has been breached.
"It is certainly one that Forest could have been doing without and one that has got the fans worried," Fray said on the Shut Up And Show More Football podcast.
"On the back of the exit of Anthony Elanga to Newcastle, fans were willing to accept that a big sale might be necessary this summer because that's life in the days of PSR and the Premier League. Although disappointed with that possibility and subsequent reality, people accepted that.
"But, to have this right on the heel of the Elanga deal caused a lot of concern among supporters, and still is. It is a moving situation and things may change quickly - but it is messy, it is horrible, Forest don't want to be there in that situation. I'm fairly sure Gibbs-White doesn't either."
Not a Forest fan? Follow your Premier League club on BBC Sport
Gibbs-White returned to training with Forest this week, adding to the speculation surrounding his future.
"It's going to be interesting to see how it plays out from here," added Fray.
"Most thought it would be ironed out and the transfer go through. Not many were expecting him back at training and here he is. That is another twist in the story.
"Forest have set their stall out that they aren't looking for a quick resolution. They want to keep him."
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
14 minutes ago
- New York Times
Adam Aznou has long been on Everton's radar and arrives with a rich pedigree
It was during the 2023-24 season that Adam Aznou first appeared on Everton's radar. The former Barcelona youngster shone from full-back as Bayern Munich's B side reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Youth League, beating Manchester United twice along the way. Everton have long monitored such tournaments. Advertisement Alongside full-time scouts based in France and Spain, the club's European senior scout, Phil Boardman, is known to be an active presence at games. The aim was to identify future talents before they hit the senior ranks. But until now, resources in this area have been limited. Almost two years on, Aznou, 19, is now an Everton player. Talks accelerated last week over an initial €9million (£7.8m/$10.4m) move, which contains add-ons. By the weekend, he had been granted permission by Bayern to miss the start of their pre-season to travel for a medical, which he underwent on Monday. Such is the regard he is held in at Bayern, the German champions have insisted on a sell-on clause as part of the deal. Offers came from France and Germany too, but Everton were always in the box-seat and seen as a logical next step in his career. Even at this age, Aznou's talent is in little doubt. Having already played three times for Morocco at senior level, the view in recruitment circles is that Everton have signed one of Europe's top full-back prospects. Aznou = Blue! 🔵 — Everton (@Everton) July 29, 2025 The problem for Aznou at Bayern was that the path to first-team minutes in his favoured left-back position was blocked by Alphonso Davies and Raphael Guerreiro, while the Bavarian club have Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry to call on further forward down that flank. It became obvious this summer that those situations were unlikely to change anytime soon. At least from Aznou's side, then, this move is about ensuring more game time. Having spent the second half of last season on loan at Spain's Real Valladolid, further opportunities are needed to turn his promise into something more tangible. Everton needed left-back cover. The departure of versatile veteran Ashley Young when his contract expired at the end of June left Ukraine international Vitalii Mykolenko as the senior squad's sole specialist on that side. That lack of depth was emphasised on Saturday in the 3-0 defeat to fellow Premier League side Bournemouth on tour in the United States, where injuries in central defence saw Mykolenko moved inside and Dwight McNeil filling in at wing-back. It proved an imperfect solution that brought inevitably poor results. Advertisement Aznou is expected to begin as cover for starter Mykolenko, but there is a feeling he can shoulder some of the burden if needed and develop into someone with a higher ceiling, particularly in attack. As the chart below shows, the teenager is flexible positionally, having featured in more advanced areas at Valladolid. In his time at Bayern, Aznou had stints at right-back — somewhere else Everton currently look light on quality. The hope at Everton is that they turn into a more attacking, front-foot side over time, one that pushes the full-backs on and can control games. It is believed players such as Aznou will be key in helping them achieve this. When he took over midway through last season, manager David Moyes pushed Mykolenko up the field with mixed results. While the 26-year-old produced the odd moment of quality into the box from the left flank, like the ball to set up Carlos Alcaraz's winner in the final-day victory over Newcastle United, he remains better known for his defensive work. In that sense, Aznou should be a useful counterbalance in the squad, bringing different elements to the table. Having been developed in the academy at hometown club Barcelona before joining Bayern in 2022, he is a prolific ball carrier, ranking in the top percentile for dribble volume (measured by dribbles attempted per 100 touches), among full-backs in Europe's top five leagues. With the exceptions of Alcaraz and Iliman Ndiaye, Moyes has lacked players who can progress the ball upfield through carrying or passing. In Aznou, he now has someone who can potentially do both. The teenager's statistics for front-footed defending point to him having an aggressive, proactive style out of possession. His low link-up and ball retention scores are notable, but probably a function of Valladolid's style. They were relegated after finishing bottom of La Liga, and had the fourth-lowest possession share in the 20-team division. Advertisement The other caveat here is that Aznou played just 876 minutes in Spain's top flight last season, and such a sample size is small enough to be prone to statistical variance. That said, those who have tracked his progress since his days in Bayern's youth ranks point to a player keen to express himself in the final third and get his side up the pitch. Much like 22-year-old fellow Everton newcomer Thierno Barry, Aznou has been signed as a talented young player who can contribute now, but whose best years are almost certainly ahead of him. He only turned 19 in early July, so patience will be required as he steps up a level in physicality and adapts to a new country and a different style of play. And there are no sure-fire bets in recruitment, and certainly not with teenagers still making their way in the game. That said, Aznou's arrival addresses a position of need in the Everton squad. And if those UEFA Youth League performances with Bayern — the ones that first piqued their interest — can become the norm in England's top flight too, then they have another exciting prospect on their hands.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
East Anglia derby moved to Sunday
The East Anglia derby between Ipswich Town and Norwich City has been moved to Sunday, 5 October at 12:00 BST. The match was originally scheduled for Saturday, 4 October but has been pushed back to accommodate for television coverage. The game will be held at Portman Road and will be the first time the two sides have met since April 2024, before Ipswich's promotion to the Premier League. The fixture ended in a 2-2 draw when it was last played, in December 2023, while Norwich won the reverse 1-0 later that season.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bryan Mbeumo relishing chance to play with Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United
Manchester United's new signing Bryan Mbeumo says he is excited about linking up with Bruno Fernandes after completing his move to Old Trafford. Cameroon winger Mbeumo, who scored 20 goals and provided seven assists for Brentford in the Premier League last season, signed a five-year contract last week to become United's third summer signing. When asked on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast who he was most looking forward to playing alongside, Mbeumo told the former United defender: 'Of course, Bruno. Of course, yeah. 'Everyone sees in the past years. He can shoot, he can cross, he can do crazy ball. Yeah, for a striker, you just enjoy that.' Mbeumo is hoping to nurture a chemistry on and off the training pitch with United's Portuguese talisman before the club launch the 2025-26 campaign at home against Arsenal on August 17. 'I think it's a little bit of everything. You earn experience from everyone. So it's always good to speak to someone like this,' Mbeumo said. 'But at the end, I think on the pitch, when you're smart like he is, I think you don't even need to think a lot. You just need to make the run and he's going to play you in the right space every time. 'But of course, you can have a little discussion to make him know how I prefer the balls and how I'm feeling the best to have the ball. 'But at a certain point, there is only one way, even if it's not the one you like, you have to do the run and he's going to put the ball in a good position.' Mbeumo's arrival at Old Trafford follows the signings of Wolves forward Matheus Cunha and Paraguay left-back Diego Leon, from Cerro Porteno. United have recently been linked with Ollie Watkins – RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko is also a reported target – and Mbeumo described his former Brentford team-mate as the 'complete striker'. Mbeumo said of Watkins: 'I think he's really complete. He's like a complete striker. He can do a lot of things. 'He can drop with the set or going in behind. And I think this is really good for me or for a winger because you can use his space to fit in there. And he can combine as well. So, I think it's really good.'
