EXCLUSIVE: Wolves board angry at Nottingham Forest as Reds name-drops club in defence of PSR breach claiming Gary O’Neil side only escaped PSR sanction after selling Ruben Neves
Figures at Wolves are said to feel ‘baffled and annoyed’ with Nottingham Forest after being dragged into their Premier League points deduction drama. The Athletic reports that Forest alleged Wolves were forced to sell Ruben Neves last summer in order to avoid a breach of profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
Forest were deducted four points by the Premier League earlier this week but cited their delayed sale of Brennan Johnson as part of their defence. They rejected a £30m bid from Brentford early last summer before selling to Tottenham for £47.5m, although it was too late to enter their accounts for the previous season.
The City Ground side cited Wolves’ sale of Neves as a similar incident but officials inside Molineux insist the Portuguese midfielder’s move to Al-Hilal had nothing to do with avoiding a PSR breach. The report adds that while the Midlands club have had to be careful, there has never been serious concern of a potential breach.
According to Wolves, their accounting period runs from June 1 to May 31, so the income from Neves’ transfer will be included in the 2023-24 accounts, not the 2022-23 accounts that were checked against the rules.
Wolves are confident they will stay within the £105 million loss limit for the 2021-24 period as well. Their forecasts predicted they would end up £2.7 million inside the threshold, based on a 17th-place finish and minimal TV broadcasts.
However, their better-than-expected season means they are likely to finish higher and appear on TV more often, bringing in additional income and moving them further away from breaching the rules.
