Awoniyi’s World Cup Tip Backfires as Gibbs-White Speaks

The story carries a Nigerian angle that makes it particularly interesting for Super Eagles supporters. Taiwo Awoniyi had heaped lavish public praise on his Nottingham Forest teammate earlier this season, declaring he could not wait to watch Gibbs-White at the World Cup alongside Elliot Anderson. Tuchel included Anderson in his squad but passed over Gibbs-White, selecting Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham at the number 10 position instead, as reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng.

Awoniyi’s prediction, made with genuine warmth after a standout performance in a Premier League win over Chelsea, turned out to be one he got wrong. It is a minor detail in the bigger picture, but it illustrates just how highly the Super Eagles striker regards the 26 year old Englishman and how much the pair’s partnership has developed over the past year at the City Ground.

The Chelsea Performance That Prompted Awoniyi’s Praise

The context of Awoniyi’s glowing assessment matters. Vitor Pereira had given the Super Eagles forward a rare start at Stamford Bridge, selecting him as part of a rotated squad while managing the squad’s energy ahead of a Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa, with Forest holding a slender 1-0 lead from the first meeting. Awoniyi responded emphatically.

He opened the scoring with a header from Dilane Bakwa’s cross just two minutes into the game. He then caused chaos for Chelsea again in the first half, drawing a foul in the penalty area that Igor Jesus converted just before the break to double Forest’s lead. With 21 minutes remaining, Gibbs-White was introduced as a substitute and promptly set up Awoniyi’s second goal to make it 3-0. The evening was a reminder of how effective the pair can be together when both are on the pitch.

The win also marked Awoniyi’s 100th appearance for Nottingham Forest, a milestone he celebrated with a brace. After the game, he made a point of praising his English teammates. “I can’t wait to watch Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson at the World Cup these guys are amazing players,” he said. It was a sincere tribute from a striker who has watched Gibbs-White drive Forest’s best passages of play from close range. Super Eagles fans excited for Awoniyi’s return to national team duty can grab the YOHAIG Bet9ja promo code before the Unity Cup gets underway.

Tuchel Explains His Decision, Gibbs-White Accepts It

The selection announcement produced immediate reaction across English football. Gibbs-White had finished the 2025-26 Premier League season with 15 goals and four assists in 3,020 minutes, making him the leading goal contributor among England-eligible players in the competition. His FotMob average rating of 7.15 across the campaign was among the highest of any attacking midfielder in the league.

Despite that output, Tuchel preferred Rogers and Bellingham in the number 10 role, a decision that reflected tactical preferences rather than a judgment on Gibbs-White’s quality. The Forest captain took the call from the England manager before the announcement, something he acknowledged publicly. “I respect him for calling me and telling me the news,” Gibbs-White told Sky Sports. “I agreed with what he had to say.”

He was candid about his own feelings without crossing into bitterness. “I know myself I have done more than enough to be in the squad,” he said. “I just got on the wrong side of someone’s opinion. I have been on the wrong side of people’s opinions throughout my career so I’m only going to bounce back.” The response drew widespread sympathy from English football supporters, many of whom felt his numbers made a strong case for inclusion. New Bet9ja users who want to follow England’s World Cup campaign can access Bet9ja’s YOHAIG code for the full registration welcome package.

A Season That Deserved More Recognition

The frustration around Gibbs-White’s omission is understandable when you look at the full season picture. Forest reached the UEFA Europa League semi-finals, their first continental campaign in 29 years, and Gibbs-White was the engine behind their most productive attacking performances all campaign. He finished as the club’s top scorer in the Premier League with 13 goals and contributed a further three in Europe, taking his total across all competitions to 16 for the season.

Forest ended the Premier League campaign in 16th place, a result that fell short of the mid-table ambitions the club had when the season began, but the Europa League run was a genuine achievement that showcased Gibbs-White to a continental audience. His form over the past two seasons, 15 goals and four assists in 2025-26 following ten assists and five goals the previous year, represents a consistent upward trajectory that makes the World Cup snub all the more difficult to process for those who watched him closely.

England head into the pre-World Cup preparation phase with friendlies scheduled against New Zealand and Costa Rica during a training camp in South Florida. The tournament itself opens in mid-June 2026, with the finals to be held across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Fans who want to follow England and the Super Eagles through the tournament can find all available offers at Bet9ja’s bonus conversion guide before the group stage gets underway.

Awoniyi’s Loyalty to His Teammates

The episode says something meaningful about Taiwo Awoniyi as a person. Most footballers in his position, a Super Eagles striker playing for a mid-table Premier League club, might focus their end of season comments entirely on their own ambitions. Instead, Awoniyi chose to direct attention towards his teammates, expressing genuine excitement for what he expected to see from Gibbs-White on the international stage.

That kind of loyalty is not always common in the modern game, and it speaks to the bonds that have developed within the Forest dressing room over a campaign that took the club to the last four of a European competition despite considerable off field turbulence, including four different managers across the year. For Awoniyi, the summer will bring Unity Cup duty with the Super Eagles and then a return to preparing for whatever Forest’s next chapter looks like after a season that delivered European football for the first time in nearly three decades.