“It is too harsh to make such judgement on Nottingham”- Lawyer hits out at the Premier League over Nottingham Forest decision
“It is too harsh to make such judgement on Nottingham”- Lawyer hits out at the Premier League over Nottingham Forest decision
Nottingham Forest told they were wronged by ‘ridiculous’ Premier League decision
It seems difficult to remember that Nottingham Forest had a turbulent time off the field in 2024, given the success under Nuno Espirito Santo on the pitch this season.
Ahead of Monday’s clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Forest sit third in the Premier League table after five consecutive victories over the festive period.
This form led to Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher predicting Forest to finish 6th at the end of the season, a stark contrast to some pundits who had Forest being relegated at the start of the campaign.
However, the City Ground was not always a happy place in 2024 as Forest received a four-point deduction in March due to a Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules breach.
Martin Keown felt Forest’s points deduction was harsh at the time, but now a prominent name in the sports law industry has reflected on the case in a social media post.
Nick De Marco slams Premier League call on Nottingham Forest
Responding to a post by football finance expert Kieran Maguire that showed Forest are one of the best sides in the league based on the transfer fee paid per point earned, Nick De Marco KC criticised the Premier League’s treatment of Forest.
He said the data “makes the PL’s [Premier League] prosecution of them [Forest] look even more ridiculous.”
Evangelos Marinakis was furious with the Premier League for their decision to punish Forest, and Di Marco’s comments only serve to highlight how much good the Forest owner has done in terms of transfer dealings to try and avoid such penalties.
Regardless of the feelings around the PSR breach, Marinakis has shown an ability to make shrewd deals in the current season’s transfer market.
Nottingham Forest have impressed in the transfer market
The table that De Marco was replying to shows that Forest have earned a point per £4.7m spent, making them the second most efficient team in the Premier League in that metric.
It’s clear to see how this has been achieved by the Forest owner when looking at the summer transfers, as Forest paid just £12m for Nikola Milenkovic who has become one of the standout stars of the Forest squad.
Even a more expensive deal like Elliot Anderson signing for Forest saw goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos move the other way, meaning that Forest were able to strengthen their squad without creating another situation where they would be in breach of Premier League rules.
Regardless of whether De Marco is right to challenge the Premier League’s decision on Forest, the club has clearly improved from the perspective of sensible transfer business.
