Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper is confident there is still plenty more to come from summer signing Morgan Gibbs-White.
The attacker has been a regular in the starting XI and has had moments of real promise since his move to the City Ground from Wolverhampton Wanderers for an initial £25million. On Monday night, he set up the opener for Emmanuel Dennis with a delightful free-kick as the Reds drew 1-1 with Aston Villa.
That result on the banks of the Trent ended a five-match losing streak for Forest. It has been a tough start to the season for Cooper’s side - both as a collective and for individua.ls - as they adapt to the step up to the Premier League and deal with the challenges of a summer overhaul.
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Bowler's thoughts
Winger Josh Bowler says he “couldn’t say no” to joining Nottingham Forest in the summer.
The 23-year-old made the switch from Blackpool on transfer deadline day, having been on the Reds’ radar for some time. After putting pen to paper, he immediately headed out on loan, linking up with fellow Evangelos Marinakis-owned side Olympiacos.
Bowler is set to spend the season in Greece. And while regular game time hasn’t been easy to come by, he says he is enjoying getting the chance to continue his development abroad.
“I couldn’t say no to Nottingham Forest and the chance to play abroad in Greece with such an iconic team was really exciting,” he told the Sunday Mirror. “It’s a massive stage and the atmosphere at home games is just incredible.
Transfer talk
A January move could reportedly be a possibility for attacking midfielder Ruslan Malinovsky following summer links to Nottingham Forest.
The Reds were said to be eyeing up the Atalanta player during the transfer window, with Tottenham Hotspur and Marseille also keen. However, the Serie A club's €50 million (roughly £44.6m) price tag seemingly proved to be a stumbling block for any potential deal.
Following the uncertainty over his future, Malinovski has been in and out of the starting XI so far this season, leaving him struggling to build any momentum. And Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera - via Sport Witness - claim he is “not happy these days” and is “not performing as one might expect”.
They suggest his form could be affected by “the transfer question” from the summer, when Forest, Spurs and Marseille were being linked. It is said “a farewell, even on loan, to find more minutes, cannot be ruled out” in January.
Cash boost
Nottingham Forest could be set for a financial boost after FIFA outlined their Club Benefits Programme ahead of the World Cup.
Club’s will pocket $10,000 (roughly £9,033) per player per day during the tournament, which is being held in Qatar this winter. And the Reds have several players who will hope to make the cut when national squads are named for the competition, including Wales internationals Brennan Johnson, Neco Williams and Wayne Hennessey.
FIFA have announced details of the programme, which will see $209 million (roughly £188.8m) distributed to clubs across the world whose players will take part in next month’s World Cup. Compensation will be paid to all clubs for which a player has played in the two years prior to the competition.
FIFA say: “As part of its commitment to recognise the contribution that football clubs make to the successful staging of the FIFA World Cup, FIFA started the application process for its Club Benefits Programme that will see USD 209 million distributed to clubs across the world.
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