‘Nottingham Forest move would destroy John Textor relationship’ – Stefan Borson
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is unlikely to have made a move that would “destroy” his relationship with Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor.
The Times reported on 9 June Forest have written to Uefa to express their concerns about Palace competing in the Europa League next season.
Textor’s company Eagle Football Holdings is the largest shareholder at Selhurst Park, while it owns a majority stake in Lyon.
Palace and the French club have both qualified for the Europa League, but Uefa’s rules prohibit clubs controlled by the same owners or directors from competing in the same European competition.
Forest potentially stand to benefit from Palace losing their Europa League place after qualifying for the Conference League following their seventh-place finish.
However, finance expert Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Forest’s letter was likely only to seek clarity on the situation as it will impact their budgets for next season depending on which competition they are playing in.
Marinakis and Textor have agreed various deals between their clubs over the past year, with the Premier League owners appearing to have some sort of arrangement.
Nottingham Forest have agreed ‘surprising’ deals with John Textor
Borson insisted Forest’s letter was unlikely submitted with the intention of “sticking the boot” into Palace due to the relationship between their owners.
He told Football Insider: “I think there clearly is a Nottingham Forest letter to Uefa about something, but I very much doubt it’s to say you must not allow Crystal Palace into the tournament because of X, Y and Z.
“That would seem to destroy the relationship that’s clearly there between Textor and Marinakis because they’ve done loads of deals together. They are deals that on the face of it are quite surprising, shall we say.
“So, there’s definitely a relationship that I don’t think they would want to destroy. Nobody’s seen the letter, nobody’s even had a briefing as to what the letter says aside from the fact that the letter has been sent.
“But if I had to guess, the letter makes a perfectly reasonable point from Nottingham Forest’s perspective that they need to know sooner or later as to which competition they’re in because there is a difference in the budgeting process and, therefore, the spending process between the two tournaments.
“If they are in the Europa League, Forest will feel that they can get to the latter stages, maybe to the semi-finals. They will look at it and go ‘Well, we can sort of assume we can get £30-35million of revenue next season from that’.
“But if it’s the Conference League, it may be that you can only assume £15million, so your whole level of spending that you’re budgeting for changes. I think they may well just be saying that we need to know sooner rather than later what the situation is.
“I just think it’s unlikely given the relationship that they’re just trying to effectively stick the boot into Crystal Palace, especially when they have no real information anyway.
“What other information could Nottingham Forest have that’s material to this decision that the Uefa investigators or Crystal Palace didn’t submit themselves?”
Chelsea turn attention to Morgan Gibbs-White deal
In terms of a potential exit, recruitment expert Mick Brown told Football Insider Chelsea are considering a move for Morgan Gibbs-White as Enzo Maresca aims to strengthen his midfield options.
Manchester City had been heavily linked with the England international, but they prioritised alternative targets and have completed a deal for Tijjani Reijnders.
Gibbs-White registered seven goals and 10 assists in 38 appearances for Forest in the 2024-25 season.
For more Nottingham Forest and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.