Gibbs-White makes Molineux departure

Morgan Gibbs-White has completed a permanent move to Nottingham Forest, bringing to an end a 14-year association with Wolves.

Hailing from Stafford, the 22-year-old first joined Wolves at the age of eight and rose through the youth ranks to become the most recent product of the club’s successful academy to reach the first-team.

Back in 2017, his debut aged 16 against Stoke City in the FA Cup showcased the rapid rise of Gibbs-White, who became a regular fixture in the first-team squad under former head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

An under-17 World Cup winner with England while part of Wolves’ under-23 set-up, Gibbs-White made history, scoring in the final against Spain and representing the old gold on a national scale.

Part of the Wolves side to lift the Championship title in 2018, Gibbs-White then made the step up to the Premier League with his local side, regularly coming off the bench during the club’s opening two seasons back at the top level.

A first goal for the club, against FC Pyunik in the Europa League in 2019, provided a moment to celebrate for the entire club, as did a first Premier League winner against Brighton & Hove Albion the following season.

Gibbs-White continued his development away from Wolves in two loan spells, first at Swansea City, before a highly successful stint at Sheffield United last season.

Having hit 12 goals as the Blades missed out in the play-offs, Gibbs-White returned to Wolves in the summer and started the club’s opening two games of this season against Leeds United and Fulham.

However, the time now comes for the next stage of Gibbs-White’s career, as he heads to Premier League newcomers Nottingham Forest as their club record signing, amidst a busy period of transfer activity at Molineux.

Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said: “At Wolves, we have been consistently working hard to improve our academy, and in the last six years I have seen the growth of Morgan from a teenager to a fully-fledged Premier League player, which epitomises our efforts and achievements for young players.

“Morgan made his first-team debut in the FA Cup at 16-years-old, and it was clear to see that we had a very special young player coming through.

“Morgan’s natural talent, hard work and dedication, combined with the excellent coaches he has worked with throughout his development here at Wolves, was the perfect recipe for him to grow into the exciting young footballer he is today.

“After his successes last season, it was no secret that Morgan declined to sign a new contract at Wolves, but despite that he has always acted with the utmost professionalism and gave everything for the team.

“Morgan leaves as the most valuable Wolves Academy graduate in the club’s history and will be an inspiration to the next generation of young players in our academy today. I look forward to more and more of them fulfilling their potential at Wolves.

“We place on record our sincere thanks to Morgan for his effort and enthusiasm over the 14 years he has been at the club and wish him the very best of luck in the next stage of his career.”