An update on Nottingham Forest’s summer transfer business has been forthcoming on Friday, courtesy of sources in Spain.
Forest handed relegation boost
A vital 3-1 win over Fulham, combined with defeats for Luton Town and Sheffield United and a draw for Everton, handed Nottingham Forest and Nuno Espirito Santo a much-needed boost in their bid for Premier League survival this season.
The four point deduction that the club received over the international break as a result of breaching financial fair play regulations left them in the relegation zone with time running out in the season. However, a first half blitz against the Cottagers means that Forest end the week three points clear of the drop with seven games left to play, including games against three of the sides around them in Sheffield United, Burnley and Everton.
Nottingham Forest’s great escape | |
Gameweek | Opponent |
32 | Tottenham (A) |
33 | Wolves (H) |
34 | Everton (A) |
35 | Manchester City (H) |
36 | Sheffield United (A) |
37 | Chelsea (H) |
38 | Burnley (A) |
Still a mammoth 15 points clear of the 40-point barrier that usually ensures safety, wins against those also scrapping for survival will go a long way towards keeping them in the top flight.
After that, they face an off the pitch battle as more financial uncertainty has left them seemingly needing to sell their stars once more this summer, amid speculation surrounding both Morgan Gibbs-White and impressive defender Murillo.
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He produced an impressive display during the international break.
As per the Daily Mail, ‘Forest are at risk of breaching financial rules again next season if they don’t sell one of their top stars in the summer’, which could mean a quiet summer on the incoming front for the City Ground side as they look to avoid further punishment. With that in mind, they have come to a decision on one of their players.
£9.5m saved with transfer decision
This comes in the form of World Cup winner Gonzalo Montiel. The Argentine defender was signed on loan from Sevilla last summer, but has struggled to nail down a starting spot at the City Ground. The last of his nine Premier League outings came as a second half substitute against Bournemouth at the beginning of February, and he has been an unused substitute for both of Forest’s last two games.
As per Spanish sources, this has made his purchase impossible. That is because the obligation to buy the Argentine defender only became active if he played half of Forest’s games this season, but even if he were to start all eight of their remaining fixtures he would not reach that threshold. That obligation stood at 11m euros (£9.5m), which would have seen Sevilla break even on the Argentine.
However due to his lack of game time he is set to return to Sevilla, where he is under contract until 2026. The report adds that he will have to accept a reduced salary than the one Forest had agreed to pay him were the move to become permanent this summer, with the defender set to revert to his £25,000 a week deal in the south of Spain.
For Forest though, it will come as a major win, with the club avoiding having to shell out for a play Nuno clearly doesn’t value.
