Nottingham Forest offloaded no fewer than 24 players this summer in a bid to meet the PSR stipulations that almost cost the club last season.
The Reds lost four points during the 2023/24 campaign after failing to meet the criteria that all of the Premier League clubs must adhere to.
Despite appealing their punishment, it was dismissed by an independent committee and bigger clubs than Forest were up against it this summer.
The concept of points deductions has scared the likes of Newcastle, Aston Villa and Everton into life.
Forest also performed their own financial gymnastics with Newcastle to ensure both clubs were under the required amount of losses in advance of the next audit.
Now, Gary Neville has made some comments on the PSR situation – and this year he’s keen for things to change.
Gary Neville makes PSR claims amid ‘bizarre’ summer transfer window
The transfer window slammed shut on Friday and unless you happen to be Chelsea then it’s been a pretty quiet summer for most.
Even Forest by their normally chaotic standards were more meticulous in their approach to the market, landing 11 shrewd additions.
Neville has called for change with the PSR requirements and has taken aim at the Premier League for how they currently operate on that front.
He told Sky Sports: “I think it is the most bizarre transfer window.
“I think PSR now is beginning to be applied by the Premier League and that’s why we’re seeing a lot of clubs, including Manchester United, having to navigate around selling players they maybe would want to.
“PSR was never designed so clubs had to sell their best academy players, and that’s what we’re seeing so something needs to change dramatically in the next 12 months in terms of the rules.
“Newcastle, I think, will be able to invest in the squad. Again, PSR needs changing so owner investment is allowed so Newcastle can get to the level of Manchester City and other clubs.
“We can’t just keep a thumb on clubs heads and say ‘you’re not going to invest’. What we have to do is do it with security and sustainability in mind. That means the owner funding might have to go in upfront but we can’t keep holding Newcastle back and we are at this moment in time.”
Forest fans might find Neville comments a little rich
Ultimately, Forest – and Everton – broke the rules and as a result, they deserved to be punished last season for their actions.
However, the timing of Neville using his platform on Sky Sports to slam the PSR guidelines does feel a little bit off.
The man who served Manchester United and England with distinction is usually on the button with football’s hot topics and in our view, he does talk a lot of sense.
However, where was he last season when Forest were forced to sell Brennan Johnson to comply with the regulations and using his platform when it impacted the Reds?
All of a sudden the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle are being impacted and Neville has used his platform to vent towards the Premier League.
In our view, every word that Neville has said is right. PSR wasn’t designed for clubs to be forced into selling the crown jewels from their academies.
However, it feels a little bit distasteful that he’s now only started calling for change when it impacts United and Newcastle and not little old Forest and Everton.
It will be interesting to see if the Premier League do act on these calls – with Neville, not the only one to be against the current regulations.
The Premier League has become a little bit farcical with all the teams who have faced points deductions and quite clearly, something has to give.
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