Nottingham Forest are a club that has certainly had their ups and downs over the last decade under the ownership of former chairman Fawaz Al-Hasawi and now Evangelos Marinakis.
From a transfer embargo under boss Dougie Freedman, Martin O'Neill making the squad run around Wollaton Park in pre-season to a first promotion to the Premier League in over 20 years under Steve Cooper – the club have had it all.
The Reds ended their Premier League exile in 2023 after a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in the play-off final, with owner Marinakis promising the fans he would invest in the playing squad to be competitive in England's top flight.
Fast-forward to 22 months after the Reds' day out at Wembley and the club have been deducted four points for breaching the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules (PSR), dropping Nuno Espírito Santo's side into the drop zone.
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Under Marinakis' guidance, the club have made 34 signings since promotion, with the owner investing over £250m on players – a real reason why the club broke the PSR rules by nearly £35m.
Despite the news of the points deduction on Monday afternoon, The Times reporter Martyn Ziegler confirmed that the Reds may have to sell another key asset during the summer to comply with the PSR rules.
That being said, we are taking a look at three players who Forest could sell to avoid another points deduction next season…
1 Morgan Gibbs-White
The most obvious choice, but one that no Forest fan would want to become a reality, is midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White. His signing raised eyebrows in 2022, with the Reds forking out £25m rising to £42.5m with add-ons for his signature.
Even some Reds supporters believed the club overpaid for Cooper's top target, but nearly two years on from his arrival at the City Ground the 24-year-old has been worth every penny and more.
Over the last two campaigns, the former Wolves midfielder has featured 71 times, scoring nine times and assisting 13 – with impressive stats helping the Reds secure survival last season.
He's grown as a footballer since his arrival, with Gibbs-White taking the armband on multiple occasions – further highlighting his importance to the club.
The "sensational" talent as described by journalist Josh Bunting now has a market value of £34m as per Transfermarkt, but it would take a fee much higher than that to make Forest part ways with their star.
His importance to the Forest side is reflected by his stats this season, with the 24-year-old averaging 4.5 progressive passes, 2.2 progressive carries and 1.3 successful take-ons per 90 – all stats that see him rank as number one at the City Ground.
Gibbs-White would arguably be the hardest player for the Reds to replace in the summer, with his confidence and talent in attacking areas impossible to replace – especially for a fee in Forest's ballpark.
2 Murillo
A player who has taken Forest fans by surprise this season is Brazilian centre-back Murillo. The 21-year-old joined the club in a £15m deal from Corinthians last summer, with his progress at the City Ground nothing short of sensational.
He had to bide his time before making his debut in the 1-1 draw against Brentford, with the defender progressing rapidly since his Premier League debut.
The ball-playing centre-back has excelled for the Reds, with his stats backing up his ability on the ball. The left-footed Brazilian has averaged 0.8 successful take-ons per game this season – a stat that sees him rank within the top 3% of all centre-backs in Europe's top five leagues.
Murillo also averages 3.6 accurate long balls per game – the highest of anyone in the Reds squad, with his importance to the club impossible to put into words.
His great form hasn't gone unnoticed; the youngster is already being linked with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Barcelona and PSG, with the Reds undoubtedly set for a huge payday when he eventually departs for a European giant.
The defender will easily break Brennan Johnson's record departure from the City Ground, which currently sits at £47.5m.
The 21-year-old has all the attributes to be a top defender in world football, with the club easily able to receive a fee in the region of £70m for Murillo, with the Brazilian still having four years left on his current deal.
3 Ibrahim Sangare
Out of the three players on this list, undoubtedly Forest fans would want midfielder Ibrahim Sangare to be the man to be sacrificed ahead of Gibbs-White and Murillo.
The Ivorian joined the Reds for a deal in the region of £30m, with the former PSV man arriving at the City Ground with a lot of potential given the interest from sides such as Bayern Munich.
He's shown glimpses of his talent since his summer arrival, but unfortunately, the 26-year-old has failed to show it on a consistent basis.
No question there is a talented player in there, with Sangare's tallies of 3.7 tackles and 2.1 blocks per 90 within the top 6% of all midfielders in Europe this campaign.
The Ivorian, who earns £75k-per-week at the City Ground, still has time to prove himself to be a great addition for the Reds, with Sangare still settling into life in the Premier League.
However, given the huge fee spent on the midfielder, he's yet to show any sort of value for money – with the club potentially using his current value of £27m as per Transfermarkt, to cut their losses and allow the club to keep talents such as Murillo and Gibbs-White for at least one more campaign should they secure survival.