Nottingham Forest: Pearce against Lascelles & Darlow sale

Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow have been sold to Newcastle, but loaned back to Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest manager Stuart Pearce has said defender Jamaal Lascelles and goalkeeper Karl Darlow were sold to Newcastle United against his wishes.

While the Premier League club have not announced the deals, Pearce confirmed on BBC Radio Nottingham that they have signed for Newcastle and immediately been loaned back to the Reds.

"The players were sold without my sanction," said Pearce.

"I can't defend the decision to sell them because it wasn't my decision."

Pearce, whose first competitive match in charge at the City Ground is Saturday's season-opener against Blackpool, continued: "I could sit here and lie and dress it up a little bit and cover the tracks of one or two individuals, but I'm not prepared to do that.

"Last week, I was asked whether I thought the deal for them going to Newcastle was a good one, and I said 'no, definitely not'.

"The first I heard this morning [Monday] was the fact that the players were sold to Newcastle.

"It's not a great business decision. I'm seeing players, the Chambers of this world, going to Arsenal for £16 million and we sell two of our better lights, in my opinion, at a cut-price."

Former England left-back Pearce first joined Nottingham Forest as a player in 1985

Forest turned down a bid from QPR for 20-year-old Lascelles in July, with Everton among a host of other Premier League clubs interested in the player.

Darlow, 23, who was on Aston Villa's books as a schoolboy before joining the Forest Academy at the age of 16, established himself as the Reds' first-choice number one last season and has made 67 appearances for the club.

Pearce said having the pair return to the Reds on loan for the 2014-15 season has softened the blow.

"The only upside we have got is that both boys are with us for a year," said Pearce, who was a guest on BBC Radio Nottingham's Matchtalk programme.

"It gives me a year's grace to get replacements in their positions."