Former Everton and Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness has revealed that Nottingham Forest’s appeal against the points deduction will centre around Brennan Johnson’s sale to Tottenham last summer.
The topic of Johnson’s £47.5m deadline day move to Spurs last summer has hit the headlines over the last month after Forest were found to have broken the profit and sustainability rules and were handed a four-point deduction.
A few weeks ago, The Mirror claimed that Nuno Espirito Santo’s men were not happy that the transfer fee they got from Tottenham for Johnson was not taken into account in the PSR calculations, with a deadline of June 30 set by the Premier League to compute financial results.
A report from the Premier League’s independent commission, which investigated the matter, found that Forest rejected three offers from Brentford for Johnson last summer, worth £32.5m, £35m and £40m, before Tottenham finally signed the winger just ahead of the transfer deadline.
Nottingham Forest appeal will involve Tottenham
Wyness believes that the Midlands club’s main argument will revolve around the Johnson deal and he expects the verdict to arrive before the end of the season.
He told Football Insider about Forests’ appeal: “I think the timetable will have everything wrapped up before the end of the season. The appeal will centre around the Brennan Johnson transaction with Tottenham.
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“I believe they will have this done before the end of the season. From a sporting integrity point of view, I really don’t see how you could not have a proper points tally to count on.
“It would just be unthinkable for the best league in the world, so I’m pleased that we’re trying to head this through. But we need to make sure they do it properly and allow due process to happen with these appeals.”
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One can understand Forests’ frustration as the reason they decided to wait beyond June 30 to sell Johnson was to ensure that they got the best possible price for the winger.
However, I am not sure if their argument will hold much water, given that the Premier League had clearly set the deadline for PSR calculations beforehand.
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