Keith Wyness: Nottingham Forest's 'war chest' reality after £100m investment
Nottingham Forest's need for funding from their owner to maintain their position in the Premier League is rising rapidly.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Reds' financial complexion has altered dramatically in recent years.
This comes after the news that owner Evangelos Marinakis pumped a further £38million into the club across April, May and June alone.
However, Wyness believes that was merely to help sustain the running of the club, rather than in preparation for a spending "splurge" this summer.
Forest have only added Xaver Schlager to their squad on a free transfer this summer, while their move for Ousmane Diomande has stalled dramatically.
Marinakis' latest round of investment took his total backing to over £100m for 2025-26, the first time his involvement has breached the three-figure mark in a single season at the City Ground.
Keith Wyness outlines sheer size of Forest 'problem'
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Forest are still facing dramatic financial constraints.
The Scottish businessman outlined that the Reds only just fell in line with the latest round of SCR restrictions, even with the £116m sale of Elliot Anderson.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, he explained that Marinakis' latest investment does not mean that the club have a "war chest" to play with in the transfer market.
"It's just maintenance, I'm afraid to say. If you think about it, the Elliott Anderson transfer is what really had to be done at that level just to get things back on track on the SCR route," Wyness said.
"I'm afraid that's the sort of size of the problem they've got. So yes, he's got to be shaking his head to himself, look at himself in the mirror and thinking, Evangelos, you've got to stop spending.
"At least he's been good enough. We've seen owners in the past who've made the mistakes and haven't had the money to go and bail themselves out.
"But yes, I'm afraid £100m is the sort of number that you're looking at now in terms of owners putting into Premier League clubs. You've got to be a billionaire, and a multi-billionaire is the way it's looking right now as well.
"I'm afraid Marinakis is going to have to start either reconsidering his actions and trying to build some stability, or he's going to have to keep on forking out from his bank account and keep on finding that £100m a season.
"It's a lot of money, but to me it's just maintenance payments rather than any war chest for a big splurge."
Wyness shares latest on Beto to Forest
Wyness previously told Football Insider last week that Everton will allow striker Beto to join Forest this summer if they can get a replacement.
The 28-year-old has emerged as a surprise target for the East Midlands outfit, as they work to strengthen Oliver Glasner's frontline.
Wyness made it clear that he has heard that the Toffees are currently working on several incomings behind the scenes, which may free up the space for Beto to be sold.
The frontman is out of contract in June 2027, and Wyness has backed him to be a good fit at the City Ground.