Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper said he was confident he would secure the signing of Morgan Gibbs-White despite the interest of Everton.
The 22-year-old signed for Forest in a deal that could eventually be worth more than £40m after a protracted pursuit of the former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder. Gibbs-White came off the bench at Goodison Park and was influential in the closing stages following his move this week.
He had been on Everton 's radar this summer and the club reportedly submitted a late bid for him in an attempt to hijack his move to the City Ground.
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Asked about this on Friday, Lampard responded: "We were well aware of him, he is a very good player and... we were aware of him but Nottingham Forest have come in and done the deal so... end of story."
Asked whether he was confident of fighting off rival interest in Gibbs-White, Cooper, who felt his side deserved more from Saturday’s 1-1 draw, said: “I think there were a few [interested clubs] late on when they knew he was coming to us, they tried to get involved and do their jobs and I don't blame them but I’ve always been confident he would come.
"You never taken it for granted but I was confident.”
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