Nottingham Forest owner Marinakis makes £82m move – Keith Wyness reacts
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has insisted Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis bankrolling an £82million cash injection is just “housekeeping”.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – claimed the Premier League high-fliers will be “tight” with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) despite the new influx of money.
Football Insider revealed on 1 January that Nottingham Forest owner Marinakis has converted £82million of loans into equity in the form of a new share issue.
The injection comes after it was confirmed shareholder loans will be required to be submitted as an Associated Party Transaction (APT) and undergo a fair market value assessment following the Premier League’s recent legal battle with Man City.
Marinakis converting the £82million into equity ensures there will be no interest charged on the loans previously provided to the club, which will aid in them avoiding Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) charges.
Nottingham Forest cash injection is just ‘housekeeping’, says Wyness
On the pitch, Forest sit third in the Premier League and are just six points behind leaders Liverpool.
Wyness told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “It’s housekeeping, it’s not a significant amount of money.
“He’s paid off the previous rights and media funding loans, as I understand it.
“They’re going to be tight in terms of PSR.
“But full respect to what they’ve achieved. They are strong going forward, with a clear plan. Nuno has them working very well.
“It’s not too big a fantasy to think of them going ahead and winning the league.
“They are on the same sort of points Leicester were on. But getting into the Champions League is more likely, and that would be an amazing finish.
“There’s every chance. They need about 20 points from the last 18 games, if you go on the history.
“All the echoes of the previous glory days will come flooding back.
“Forest have got a glorious history, and it would be great to bring European nights back to Nottingham.
“There’s a long way to go but all the signs are in place. It’ll be a case of injuries, and whether the squad is deep enough to sustain those injuries.”
In other news, Liverpool have “concrete” interest in Nottingham Forest star.
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