What now for Tottenham after Morgan Gibbs-White pens contract extension?

The longer the Morgan Gibbs-White debacle went on, the more our innate pessimism came to the fore.

Spurs supporters have been burned far too many times before, but this was an unprecedented transfer heartbreak. This was the first instance I remember of a player being forced to sign a contract extension (surely against his will!) after an interested club had triggered their release clause.

There have been hijackings and image rig... God, don't make me talk about Paulo Dybala. I'll tear up. Anyway, yeah. The situation with Gibbs-White is all just a bit odd, with that interview alongside Evangelos Marinakis the cherry on top of the f*cked up cake.

Alas, the England international will not be donning the slick black attire on Champions League nights next season, all while wreaking havoc in transition from a No. 10 role. I had fully bought in, but, instead, I will be actively rooting against Nottingham Forest next season.

Without going all Ty from AFTV, but... "Marinakis, you're a cheat. I hope Forest get relegated."

Tottenham have not done enough in the transfer market

So, what now? No Gibbs-White, but there's £60m to spend (apparently) and Spurs require passers in midfield.

Our creative limitations in advanced areas have been brought to light again at the start of pre-season in the absence of James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, although Mohammed Kudus, one of two fresh faces brought in this summer, will undoubtedly supply this team with ingenuity and off-the-cuff magic.

Kulusevski's knee injury is a major concern and, as it stands, the frail Maddison is going to be relied on heavily at the start of Thomas Frank's reign. With our current personnel, I don't think it's too hyperbolic to suggest that we're a Maddison injury away from disaster.

I'm okay with Joao Palhinha coming in as a destroyer, but there's a need for another playmaker. Ideally, we add a deep-lying operator who can take the build-up burden off Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro, but the addition of a creative No. 8 or 10 could also work with lynchpin Palhinha providing the requisite defensive security alongside.

Harvey Elliott has been mooted as a potential alternative, but there are reasons that don't relate to his ability why that would be a tough move to get behind. Leicester's Bilal El Khannouss performed well for an awful Foxes team last season, and would be an excellent Maddison understudy, but whether he'd be ready to take on a major role in north London is another matter.

Given his reported (*trigger warning*) £22.5m relegation release clause, Spurs should, theoretically, be able to snap him up and have plenty left in the kitty for further reinforcements. I wouldn't be mad at the additions of Palhinha and El Khannouss to our midfield room, but there are homegrown and player-trained squad issues which need resolving, also.

Depth is a necessity for 2025/26, but Frank's squad currently looks bloated. Unfortunately, our inability to sell may limit our capacity to spend over the next month. Sales must be prioritised post-tour, then we can look at the aforementioned midfield additions.

No matter who comes in this summer, I think it might take a while to get over Gibbs-White.