Spurs sign Kudus but Gibbs-White move stalls

Tottenham have signed Mohammed Kudus from West Ham but a move for Morgan Gibbs-White has reportedly been put on hold as Nottingham Forest have threatened legal action.

Kudus became the first player since 2011 to make the move from the Hammers to rivals Spurs in a reported £55 million ($74 million) deal.

Gibbs-White looked to follow as Spurs sought to activate the £60 million buyout clause in his Forest contract.

However, the BBC reported that Forest did not give Tottenham permission to speak to the player and are considering legal action over suspicions Spurs tapped up Gibbs-White.

Under Premier League rules clubs are not allowed to talk to players under contract with another team unless they are given permission.

Kudus’ arrival marks the start of the Thomas Frank era at Tottenham after he replaced Ange Postecoglou last month, despite the Australian winning the Europa League to end a 17-year trophy drought for the club.

Victory over Manchester United in the Bilbao final also secured Spurs direct entry to the Champions League.

Kudus said the combination of playing in Europe’s elite competition and Frank’s track record of developing talent at Brentford were major factors in his decision to join.

“I have always wanted to play at the highest level,” the Ghanaian international said on the Tottenham website.

“How big the club is, the history, and (in) the Champions League as well, so it is a big moment. I am finally here and am very happy. I can’t wait to start.

“The most important part of why I came here is the project and how the manager sees that I can develop under him.

“I have seen the amount of talent he has developed to become great players, and that is a big sign of why I wanted to work under him as well.”

Kudus scored 19 goals in 80 appearances for West Ham since joining from Ajax for £38 million two years ago.

Gibbs-White had previously been linked with Manchester City after playing a major role in Forest’s seventh-placed finish in the Premier League last season.

He scored seven goals and provided 10 assists in 34 Premier League appearances to earn senior England recognition under both Lee Carsley and Thomas Tuchel.

His departure would be a second major loss for Forest in a matter of days with Anthony Elanga set to join Newcastle in a £55 million move.

Gibbs-White joined Forest from Wolves in 2022 for an initial £25 million that could rise to £42.5 million in add-ons.