Former Nottingham Forest manager Mark Warburton has expressed his belief that the club has been unfairly penalised by the Premier League due to their ambitious approach following promotion. This comes after the Reds were docked four points for breaching profit and sustainability regulations by £34.5m.
According to these regulations, clubs are allowed to incur losses of up to £105m over a three-year period. However, Forest’s maximum allowable deficit was set at £61m due to their two-year stint in the Championship during the assessment period.
Warburton lamented, “Here’s a club that had a go, for want of a better term,” highlighting the disparity with teams that have gained promotion but failed to strengthen their squads, ultimately suffering immediate relegation from the Premier League.
Notably, Forest’s return to the top-flight in 2022 marked the end of a 23-year absence. Despite being at the bottom of the Championship in September of the 2021-22 season, they achieved an unexpected promotion under the management of Steve Cooper, ultimately securing victory in the play-off final against Huddersfield.
The financial implications of their promotion were substantial, with estimates suggesting that their Wembley triumph was worth approximately £170m. This led to significant investment in the squad, including the acquisition of a record-breaking 22 new players and the agreement of five loan deals, resulting in a net transfer spend of £142.8m over the 2022-23 season.
As a result of the recent points deduction, Forest have been relegated to the bottom three of the Premier League. In response, the club expressed their “extreme disappointment” with the decision, which they believe raises broader concerns for aspiring clubs.
Warburton, who was in charge of Forest when the club was acquired by Greek shipping tycoon Evangelos Marinakis in 2017, empathised with the frustrations and concerns expressed by the club, emphasising the necessity of their significant investment to bolster the squad for top-flight competition.
“Their frustrations are understandable,” he remarked. “Forest have shown a high level of ambition by strengthening the squad and investing money. It must be very frustrating for them to be penalised in this manner despite doing what they believed was the right thing.”
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