Nottingham Forest have made themselves enemies of Crystal Palace in recent times.
Evangelos Marinakis upset Steve Parish by making a complaint to UEFA and ultimately getting the Eagles kicked out of the UEFA Europa League last summer – forcing Crystal Palace to settle for a spot in the UEFA Conference League.
Of course, it all worked out in the end after victory over Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig, but fans will never forget the 58-year-old pathetically grassing us up.
Now – however – Nottingham Forest have actually done us a favour by rejecting an enormous £122m bid from Manchester City for Elliot Anderson, a decision which gives Parish a reference point if any approaches are made for Adam Wharton this summer.
What was your favourite part about the trip to Leipzig? 🇩🇪
Crystal Palace can justify demanding at least £100m for Adam Wharton as Nottingham Forest request £130m for Elliot Anderson
The Daily Mail say Nottingham Forest want £130m for the England international as they hold out for a new British transfer record. That title is currently held by Alexander Isak after his £125m move to Liverpool back in September.
Wharton is a year younger than Anderson at the age of 22 and – while not as firmly involved within the England camp as the Nottingham Forest No.8 – is just as talented a footballer, in our view.
The Crystal Palace No.20 has already won three trophies in the FA Cup, Community Shield and UEFA Conference League – whereas Anderson has won nothing at the City Ground – and crucially, both are under contract until June 2029.
In this respect, there is no reason why Parish cannot justify requesting at least £100m for Wharton this summer if clubs come calling, considering Nottingham Forest think they can actually get £130m for Anderson.
Liverpool have been linked to Wharton as Andoni Iraola – who Parish wanted to hire before Pierre Sage – targets a new central midfielder.
Manchester United could also have a look after deciding to abandon their own pursuit of Anderson, with rivals Manchester City taking the bidding way beyond a figure they were prepared to reach.
Initial thoughts on Pierre Sage? 🤔
He can boast a 67.5% win ratio from 40 games at RC Lens 😍
Some nonsensical figures around the £60m mark have already been doing the rounds this summer as the papers speculate over Wharton – but Nottingham Forest have now enabled us to request a much larger fee after remarkably turning down £122m for Anderson.
