Ciaran Morrison

Tue 24 March 2026 19:00, UK

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Nottingham Forest’s decision to expand the City Ground could mean the club has less money to spend on the pitch.

That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who thinks owner Evangelos Marinakis is thinking “long-term” about the club.

Nottingham Forest’s City Ground stadium currently holds just over 30,000 fans, with plans to expand that figure to over 52,000.

The project could cost the club over £130million to complete, with initial work set to begin this summer, whilst the main reconstruction of the Peter Taylor Stand is scheduled to commence in 2027.

Nottingham Forest’s finances to fund the project could be impacted if the club suffer relegation from the Premier League this season, with the Tricky Trees just three points above the drop zone.

Nottingham Forest warned of ‘nasty spiral’ amid City Ground redevelopment

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Marinakis will be investing his own money to fund the project.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks clubs always face “jeopardy” when committing to such developments.

He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Now, what are we going to see with West Ham and Spurs if either of those were to go down or if Forest was to go down?

“You know, all those sorts of things. Will we see full stadiums again? And these are the questions that we’ve got to think about. Marinakis, as we know, is a fighter. He’s thinking long-term for Forest and he’s going to invest a lot of his own money in this new development. 

“So he’ll be the one that will take it on. It’s always a big dilemma for owners and I’ve been there with these sorts of decisions before. You must invest in new facilities to attract people, but then again, once you’ve invested all that money, have you sacrificed some spending on the pitch, and then it gets into a nasty spiral. 

“It’s always a difficult thing in football and that’s what keeps it so attractive in terms of being a soap opera. All these clubs are in big jeopardy, and it is the jeopardy that we’re facing right now.”  

Nottingham Forest at disadvantage compared to rivals

Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider that Nottingham Forest could face an issue selling out the City Ground.

A bigger ground means the club would be relying more on local fans to turn up to every game, as they do not have the same attraction as Premier League rivals for tourists.

Results on the pitch will have a significant impact as to whether fans turn out for every game, with the club having struggled on the pitch this season fighting against Premier League relegation.