Steve Cooper
New Nottingham Forest signing Morgan Gibbs-White has explained that deciding to leave Wolverhampton Wanderers has been the hardest decision of his life.
Morgan Gibbs-White said: “This is so hard to write. I don’t even know where to begin, honestly. Wolves has been my whole life. I’ve been at this club since the age of eight – the club means everything to me. I want to thank everyone who has played such a huge influence on my career. The managers I’ve worked with, the backroom staff, my teammates and the incredible fans who have supported me through the good and difficult times. I will always appreciate it. I’ve grown from a young boy into the man I am today at this club. This has been the hardest decision of my life, but one I felt I had to take at this stage of my career. It hurts to leave but it’s time to take on a new challenge. I’ll always be a Wolves fan and watch out for our results on matchdays. I want to wish everyone all the best for the future and hope to see you all soon.”
He signed off with the hashtag #wolvesaywe and a heart emoji. Boss Steve Cooper wants to use the final fortnight of the transfer window to ensure Nottingham Forest have sufficient strength in depth in every position. Speaking before news of Gibbs-White broke, Cooper said when asked if the first two games of the Premier League season had altered his remaining transfer plans
Steve Cooper said: “No, not really. We knew that we needed to change the squad, because we had no alternative. But also, for example, what Jack did last year, in playing out of position – I know he did a brilliant job for us because he’s a thoughtful lad – but I don’t really think you should be doing that in the Premier League unless you have to, unless you have an injury crisis or something else. Touch wood that doesn’t happen. We want to make sure we have the right challenge and the right depth for every position. I don’t want any player thinking they are definitely going to play in the next game; I want them to feel that they’ve got to train really well to get a place in the team. A lot of the stuff that we’ve done is catch-up; catch-up to certainly the other two teams who have come up with us. If we maybe need to do some more that can help us improve again, then hopefully we’ll be able to do it. It will be ins and outs now.”
Getting the balance of the squad right remains key for the Reds, with Cooper placing as much emphasis on character profile as a player’s quality. He has also been keen to bring in some players with knowledge of the top-flight, to help those without that kind of experience.
Steve Cooper said: “We’ve got to have a good mixture of people coming into the Premier League for the first time, with the wonder of what it’s like and dealing with it head on. And also, in and around it, a little bit of calmness – people saying, ‘okay, have a think about this, because I’ve been here before’. You need a bit of both, really.”
