Nottingham Forest are expected to learn on Monday if they will be hit with a points deduction for breaching spending limits.
Since they returned to the Premier League, 42 players have arrived at the City Ground for more than £250million, with more hits than misses — and it is a policy that landed them in hot water when they were charged with breaking profit and sustainability rules in January.
Say the names of Giulian Biancone, Omar Richards or Hwang Ui-jo and most fans would quizzically look at you, but these are evidence of Forest’s expensive transfer mistakes.
The verdict from the Premier League is now due, in the latest twist of a season tainted by uncertainty, one that is likely to be decided as much by what happens off the pitch as on it.
Just how crucial Luke Berry’s last-gasp equaliser on Saturday was in the survival battle will become clearer in time, but it felt like a huge moment for Luton.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest are set to find out today if they will be docked points
There was frustration for Forest as Luke Berry scored a late equaliser for Luton on Saturday
Regardless of Monday’s outcome, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo pledged his side would battle on.
‘I’m disappointed because I think we did enough to take three points,’ he said. ‘Let’s wait and see with the decision.
‘Whatever happens, we keep on going and fighting. Nine games to go, we have nine finals.’
In more positive news for Forest, Chris Wood’s £15m arrival from Newcastle seemed to be another of those expensive mistakes after three goals in his first 19 games.
But since Nuno arrived in December, Wood has been reborn and notched his seventh in 10 games at Luton to outline his status as Forest’s unlikely hero of the season.
With uncertainty over points deductions for their rivals, and the prospect of appeals dragging on past the end of the season, Luton boss Rob Edwards admitted he was not quite sure how to deal with everything.
Chris Wood has been a player reborn under Nuno and scored his seventh goal in ten games
‘It is quite chaotic and new for us all,’ he said. ‘There have been a lot of first-time experiences this season we’re having to deal with.
‘If things happen then I might be able to talk about it more, but not yet, as you’re sort of speculating a bit.’
