Money well spent? Or 'reckless'?
- Published
Does Nottingham Forest's third-place position in the Premier League justify their spending in recent seasons?
Forest, under Steve Cooper, were promoted in May 2022 and signed a British-record 22 new players that summer and made five loan signings. Their net transfer spend over the 2022-23 season was £142.8m.
They were deducted four points for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules last season but re-enforced the squad in the summer with the likes of Elliot Anderson and Nikola Milenkovic.
"There's now almost a justification for their crazy spending because they have a foot-hold in the Premier League," said Chris Sutton on the BBC Radio 5 Live Monday Night Club. "No matter where they finish, they are not going to get relegated this season."
Rory Smith from the New York Times added: "I don't think we should whitewash their spending too much just because they've started the season well.
"The reason they were criticised for their spending was because so much felt like a waste. They signed a lot of players that are no longer there.
"They simultaneously committed the money that you need to compete in the league while being reckless."