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Nottingham Forest slammed with four-point deduction, relegation battle looms

Nottingham Forest are staring down the relegation barrel after the Premier League hit them with a four-point deduction for breaching Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). 

They are currently on 25 points, but that tally will drop to 21 when the punishment has been implemented. According to the Guardian, the decision will be announced today. 

The sanction will send Forest tumbling into the drop zone. They will sit behind Luton Town, just one point adrift of safety.

Forest will likely appeal the decision. The club admitted the breach but argued extenuating circumstances, centring their defence around the sale of star forward Brennan Johnson.  

Brentford offered £30 million for the Forest Academy product last summer, but Johnson was not keen on the move. 

However, Forest gambled, believing they could secure a higher fee by waiting beyond the PSR deadline on June 30.

The gamble paid off when they sold Johnson to Tottenham Hotspur in September for £47.5m. Forest argued that the strategy ultimately improved their financial sustainability.

Despite making their passionate plea, the independent panel didn’t buy it.

Everton and Forest have been made the early scapegoats of the new PSR regulations, which place stern limitations on allowable losses. 

The Premier League rules permit clubs to lose £105m over three years, but Forest’s window was reduced to £61m due to their time in the Championship

The club argued this limited their ability to compete after winning promotion. They needed significant investment in the squad to challenge established top-flight clubs, leading them to sign a jaw-dropping 42 players.

They spent around £250m in their first season back in the Premier League. The scattergun strategy helped them secure survival last year, but it appears to have come at a steep cost. 

The points deduction throws the relegation battle wide open, and Forest face a fight for survival with a smaller margin for error.

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