Nottingham Forest went on a big spending spree in the summer.
Nottingham Forest’s big summer spending spree could have repercussions if they fail to earn promotion this season; just as east midlands rivals Derby County have found out in recent years.
Forest spent over £25 million in the summer on a host of new players including Portugal U21 international Joao Carvalho, who arrived at the City Ground from Benfica for a club-record transfer fee.
Forest’s big spending was reminiscent of rivals Derby back in the 2015/16 campaign, as a failure to earn promotion in the previous two seasons prompted Rams owner Mel Morris to open his chequebook.
Morris backed then manager Paul Clement to the hilt, with players such as Tom Ince, Jason Shackell, Andreas Weimann, Bradley Johnson and Jacob Butterfield all arriving for a combined figure nearing £30 million.
Aside from the heavy spending on fees, Derby’s wage bill shot up and they knew a failure to reach the Premier League would cause them potential problems down the line regarding Financial Fair Play rules.
As it happened, the Rams lost in the 2015/16 play-offs, and later that summer Jeff Hendrick was sold to newly-promoted Burnley for a reported £10.5 million fee (the Sun).
Academy product Hendrick was not the only one to leave so that Derby could balance their books, as the popular Will Hughes and Tom Ince left a year later, while this past summer top scorer Matej Vydra was also sold.
Forest are expected to receive £7 million from Blackburn Rovers for Ben Brereton in January (the BBC), but a failure to earn promotion this term may prompt them to sell one of their most prized assets next year.
Like Derby, it is not just the outlay in transfer fees Forest must navigate but, with as many as 11 new permanent signings made over the summer, their wage bill is likely among the Championship’s highest.
Should the Reds be forced to move one out to facilitate further additions next summer, then Ben Osborn is an obvious candidate, with the 23-year-old having attracted interest from Stoke City last summer (Nottingham Post).
Aitor Karanka’s side have made a poor start to their Championship promotion challenge, winning just one and drawing four of their first six games of the campaign as they currently sit in mid-table.
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