Premier League

NOTTINGHAM Forest face ANOTHER points deduction next season – unless they sell a star player by the end of June.Forest are still seething at the four-point deduction imposed on Monday by an independent commission into the admitted breach of Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules.Nottingham Forest could face another points deduction next seasonCredit: PAThe estimated figures make grim reading for Nuno Espirito Santo’s sideCredit: PAThe City Ground club conceded to the commission that they had lost £95,536,000 over three years.With only one year in the top flight and two of those seasons in the Championship, Forest were only permitted “allowable losses” of £61m, meaning they bust the limit by £34.536m.And the numbers contained in the official written reasons by the three-man commission show that Forest are already up to £26m over their maximum loss limit for THIS season.Forest’s calculations, submitted to the Premier League, showed a loss of £40m in the 2021-22 season and a further deficit of £52m last term.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBut even with two seasons in the Prem, they are limited to cumulative losses of £83m for the three terms including this campaign.That means the club went into this season £9m over the limit – risking at least a three-point deduction.Forest then told the Commission the club was “projecting to realise losses of approximately £12-17m for the year ending 30 June 2024”.On a best-case scenario, according to their own calculations, Forest will be in breach of the limit by between £21m and £26m.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERBut Forest’s initial calculations LAST season were based on them finishing 12th. Their 16th-placed finish meant £12.5m in “lost” prize money.Every Premier League stadium ranked by the number of pubs nearby with one boasting over 130 local boozersNottingham Forest Q&A

NOTTINGHAM FOREST have been deducted four points – but why? Can they appeal it? And could Everton be hit with more sanctions? Martin Lipton explains…
So Forest have been deducted four points – but why?
Forest admitted on December 31 when they filed their accounts for last season that they had breached the allowed Profitability and Sustainability limit. They finally admitted a breach of £34.536m
What is the limit?
Clubs who are in the Prem for three seasons are limited to “allowable losses” – after calculations including the “amortisation” of transfer fees, stadium building and Covid-related expenditure are taken out – of £105m over three seasons. As Forest only had one top-flight campaign, their limit was £61m
Isn’t that unfair?
Forest spent those two years in the EFL, where clubs are restricted to losses of £13m. They were working under those regulations.
What did Forest admit?
Forest told the Prem on December 31 they were £25.8m over the limit, blaming it on an anticipated 12th-placed finish, £20m in promotion bonuses and a claim of more than £11m in Covid losses.
So how come the final figure?
Prem chiefs capped Covid-related losses at £2.5m
And what was the Brenn Johnson argument?
Forest said that because they had sold Johnson to Spurs for £47.5m on deadline day last summer that it was a “near miss” and “golden mitigation” – if they had sold him before the end of the financial year on June 30 they would have been fine.
Why was that rejected?
Forest revealed they had turned down an offer of £42.9m from Atletico Madrid on June 30 and then three offers – ranging from £32m to £40m – from Brentford between July 21 and August 28 before the Spurs deal went through. Johnson played in Forest’s first three Prem games of the season – including the win over Sheffield United – and so they gained a clear “sporting advantage”.
What did the Prem argue?
Prem financial chiefs warned Forest on June 6 that Johnson needed to be sold by the end of the month and that advice was ignored. This was a“significant breach” of the regulations and lawyers argued that the starting point should be an eight-point deduction.
Forest disagreed, presumably?
Indeed so. Nick De Marco KC suggested that Forest should not have any points deducted at all. That the case was far less serious than Everton’s – they were initially deducted ten points, reduced to six on appeal – and that if points were lost the punishment should be suspended.
And the Commission ruled…?
That the significant breach deserved a six-point deduction, with two points reduced for Forest’s guilty pleas and cooperation ensured the hearing took place five weeks ahead of the latest date.
What next – can Forest appeal?
Yes. They have seven days to lodge an appeal and that hearing would likely be scheduled for mid-April, allowing a final decision by the start of May, well ahead of the “backstop date” of May 24. Forest could then ask for an “Arbitration hearing” but would have to prove a “breach of natural justice”.
Okay – and when do we hear about Everton’s second breach?
It is understood that the hearing will be later this week, meaning a likely decision on April 2. Any appeal would take the case into the back half of May, potentially after the season has ended.
But aren’t Manchester City and Chelsea under investigation – why have we not heard anything?
City are vehemently denying the 115 allegations laid in February 2023. Their case is expected to be heard from October with a verdict next spring. Chelsea have yet to be charged despite admitting uncovering a breach of spending rules which took place under Roman Abramovich.

If a similar over-estimate of Nuno Espirito Santos’ side has been made this season – and the calculation took place BEFORE the commission’s points deduction decision – then the scale of the breach would be close to the same £34.5m mark that was so costly at the hearing.The only way, then, to avoid being in breach once again would be to sell a major player – raising £30m-plus in revenue – before the end of the financial year on June 30.Morgan Gibbs-White would be the obvious asset to cash in on but Forest would lose at least £15m in “amortisation” costs on any sale, meaning they would need to get a £45m fee to be confident of clearing the breach hurdle.If Forest do stay up despite Monday’s loss of four points, then they would face a repeat of the proceedings of the past two months at the same stage of next season’s Prem campaign – and the likelihood of a tougher sanction.And even if they are relegated, then the later accounting reporting date for the EFL would be likely to see a deduction of Prem points in 2025-26 if they were to earn promotion back to the top flight at the first opportunity.Morgan Gibbs-White could be sold to help balance the booksCredit: ReutersForest’s 46 signings since promotion

2022/23 (30):

Morgan Gibbs-White
Taiwo Awoniyi
Danilo
Neco Williams
Emmanuel Dennis
Orel Mangala
Moussa Niakhate
Giulian Biancone
Lewis O’Brien
Remo Freuler
Omar Richards
Jonjo Shelvey
Renan Lodi
Chris Wood
Ui-jo Hwang
Willy Boly
Harry Toffolo
Felipe
Josh Bowler
Brandon Aguilera
Jesse Lingard
Gustavo Scarpa
Cheikhou Kouyate
Andre Ayew
Wayne Hennessey
Adnan Kanuric
Dean Henderson
Loic Bade
Keylor Navas
Serge Aurier

2023/24 (16):

Ibrahim Sangare
Anthony Elanga
Andrew Omobamidele
Murrilo
Nicolas Dominguez
Matt Turner
Matz Sels
Odysseas Vlachodimos
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Nuno Tavares
Gio Reyna
Ola Aina
Andrey Santos
Gonzalo Montiel
Divock Origi
Rodrigo Ribiero More

JOSE MOURINHO has been tipped to replace Eddie Howe at Newcastle by former Toon boss Sam Allardyce.The Special One is on the hunt for his next job after being sacked by Roma in January.Jose Mourinho has been tipped to take charge at Newcastle this summerCredit: GettyEddie Howe is under pressure after a disappointing seasonCredit: EPAMourinho has been linked with taking a job in Saudi Arabia, having met one of their top chiefs last week while watching Anthony Joshua’s boxing win over Francis Ngannou.But he is reportedly holding out for another big club in Europe.And Newcastle have been tipped to make a move this summer after a disappointing season with Howe.The ex-Bournemouth chief led Toon to Champions League football last season.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLBut they crashed out of Europe’s elite competition at the group stage.And Newcastle are currently in 10th place in the league, 16 points off the top four.Howe doesn’t even have a domestic trophy left to play for after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City on Saturday.And Allardyce believes the Newcastle job is Mourinho’s if he — and the club’s Saudi owners — want it to be.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERAppearing on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce discussed a potential Prem return for Mourinho.He has already managed Chelsea, Man United and Tottenham.Could Jose Mourinho return to Chelsea?Sam Allardyce and Lee Clark reckon Mourinho has a soft spot for NewcastleCredit: No Tippy Tappy Football podcastMourinho was No2 at several clubs under Toon legend Sir Bobby RobsonCredit: ReutersBut a move to Newcastle could be just what he desires, as he holds a “special little place” for them.Mourinho cut his teeth in football working as assistant to Newcastle legend Sir Bobby Robson at Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona.And to this day, the Special One honours his former gaffer any time he pays a trip to the North East.Speaking alongside fellow host Natalie Pike and guest Lee Clark, Allardyce said: “Who knows with Jose, if he wants it and they want to give it to him, he’ll be there next season.”Former Al-Ittihad boss Clark, who also played for Huddersfield and Birmingham, added: “He has a little special place for Newcastle, doesn’t he, because of Sir Bobby Robson.“He hasn’t been that successful going to St James’ Park with any of his teams.‘But when the bus pulls out he always gets it to stop at the Bobby Robson statue and gets off the bus.“He calls himself the ‘little Magpie’.”Mourinho has made no secret of his admiration for Sir Bobby, previously saying: “I think the most important thing I took from him is the person that he was.”I take much more from that beautiful human being that one day we lost a match and I wasn’t happy at all and he was telling me, ‘If you think of the happiness in the opposite dressing room, you are not so sad.’ This is him.”When you spend every day with him for two, four, six years, you get a lot from that gentleman. “He had something that belongs to the big ones, which is being humble, natural, making people enjoy to be with you and not being scared of what you represent or who you are.READ MORE SUN STORIES”That was a beautiful thing with him. He was such an amazing person. Of course, his career speaks for itself. “I don’t need to say what he did, what he achieved, but, as a person, I felt very privileged.” More

SIR ALEX FERGUSON once told Sir Dave Brailsford that the secret to a good team was to “get rid of the c***s”.The pair met several years ago, possibly before Brailsford ever considered crossing over from cycling to football.Sir Alex Ferguson once passed on a key piece of advice to Sir Dave Brailsford, rightCredit: GettyThese days he is Director of Sport at Ineos and he has been tasked with identifying the problems at Manchester United by his boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe.Prior to that he was a successful team principal at Ineos Grenadiers, Team Sky and British Cycling, where he first met United legend Ferguson.The pair discussed management and how to deal with big personalities, and former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas recalled a piece of advice Fergie passed on to Brailsford.He said on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast: “I remember Dave Brailsford told me a story about it once because Sir Alex came into the velodrome to see Dave when he was still with British Cycling.READ MORE ON MAN UTD”And Dave was picking his brains about all sorts of different stuff and he was asking him about riders and personalities and how he deals with different egos and Alex was like, ‘you’ve got to get rid of the c***s’. “And Dave wrote this up and a couple of weeks later he is doing this talk in front of I don’t know how many, maybe 100-odd people, going through slide after slide talking about his chat with Sir Alex and on the big projector [it read] ‘you’ve got to get rid of the c***s.”Ferguson, 82, never hesitated to get rid of players throughout his tenure at Old Trafford.The likes of Roy Keane, Jaap Stam, and Paul Ince were all kicked out of the club following clashes with Fergie, with David Beckham also having trouble with the former manager before his move to Real Madrid.Most read in FootballInside Ratcliffe’s Man Utd plansEverything you need to know as Sir Jim Ratcliffe takes charge at Manchester United…

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSBrailsford, 60, has also had experience dealing with big egos and made the difficult decision to oust Bradley Wiggins as leader of Team Sky a year after he won the Tour de France.Chris Froome was picked as the number one rider instead and the decision paid off as he went on to win the Tour de France four times, the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.Sir Jim Ratcliffe discusses Bruno Fernandes and Kylian Mbappe transfer in quickfire Q&A More

SIR JIM RATCLIFFE has revealed he wants to build a 100,000 seater stadium for Manchester United.United’s co-owner is in charge of football activity at the club but he also has big plans off the pitch.Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to build a ‘Wembley of the North’Credit: PAThe co-owner revealed the new ground could seat 100,000 fansCredit: PAOne of the biggest questions United face is what to do with Old Trafford, with Ratcliffe appearing to favour building a new stadium.He envisions a new state-of-the-art facility that can act as the ‘Wembley of the North’, and host around 100,000 spectators.Ratcliffe said on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast: “You have got this opportunity if you choose to, to build a completely new ground, because we have got enough space.”If you built a completely new ground it would absolutely be state-of-the-art, world class, 90,000 or maybe even 100,000 that then provides a platform for some of the big competitions in the north of England.READ MORE ON MAN UTD”Why do England always play in the south? Why is the FA Cup final always in the south? Why can’t the Champions League final be in the north occasionally?”Football in the north is just as important as it is in the south, arguably more so, and the people in the north pay their taxes, so why do we have Wembley, Twickenham, Wimbledon etc in the south.”What have we got in the north? There’s a strong argument to build a ‘Wembley of the north’.”Ratcliffe pointed to the examples Real Madrid and Barcelona have set with regard to building state-of-the-art stadiums.Most read in FootballRatcliffe wants the new ground to rival the BernanbeuCredit: Twitter @realmadridCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSThe United chief was impressed by the Bernabeu on his last visit after Real Madrid spent £1billion renovating the famous arena.And he believes United – and the Premier League – are deserving of a ground that can equal the Spanish pair.Sir Jim Ratcliffe says Man Utd’s ‘Wembley of the North’ could be 100,000-seat mega-stadium if they leave Old TraffordHe added: “It [United] needs to have a stadium that is befitting the club and the brand. That might have been the case 20 years ago but it isn’t today.”If you look at what Real Madrid are doing now with the Bernabeu and what Barcelona with the Nou Camp, the Bernabeu now is fabulous, it’s like a cauldron of noise it’s really impressive.”The Premier League needs to have some grounds that are the equal of out European competitors.”A “Wembley of the North” could cost around £2bn and ideas for the new arena have been brought to life by AI.Lord Ping created several new images of what the New Old Trafford could look like, drawing on inspiration from the current stadium.AI has created images of what the new stadium could look likeCredit: Lord PingThe AI drew on inspiration from the current groundCredit: Lord PingRatcliffe could propose a new venue on the land next to the current ground More