John Textor’s Surprising Revelation About His Connection to Nottingham Forest

Any Lyon supporter gets chills at the mention of John Textor, the man who has led the club into a dire financial situation, narrowly salvaged by Michele Kang and her trusted team. With losses over €200 million in the 2024-2025 financial year, the Rhone club nearly faced closure due to ongoing financial mismanagement by the American businessman, who claimed to be creating a new model of multi-ownership with clubs like Botafogo (Brazil), Crystal Palace (England), and Molenbeek (Belgium).

However, Textor has conducted significant business with another club in recent years: Nottingham Forest, led by the colorful president Evangelos Marinakis. Textor described him as “the partner we wished to have with Crystal Palace”. This somewhat candid admission came during a lengthy YouTube interview on a Brazilian channel, Canal do TF, stirring controversy in England since Crystal Palace lost their Europa League spot to Forest this season because of Textor.

Transfers at Adjusted Prices

“What I can say about our relationship with Marinakis is that, even though we do not own Nottingham Forest and Marinakis has no stake in Eagle Football, he has truly become the partner we wished to have with Crystal Palace”, Textor stated, reflecting on the many deals made between Nottingham Forest and Botafogo last summer. Players like Igor Jesus, sold for just €19 million, Jair Cunha for €12 million, John Victor, the goalkeeper for €8 million, and Cuiabana, the left-back, for €6 million all made the same journey.

“Sometimes, a transfer amount is adjusted to correct a value discrepancy in our relationship, which could involve another player. We strive to assign fair amounts to every player, as there are often multiple stakeholders: the player, their agent, or their other club. However, negotiating values with a regular business partner is quite different from dealing with a player in a one-off transaction”, Textor admitted, a revelation that may not surprise Lyon supporters. They had raised eyebrows at the purchase price of Moussa Niakhaté in the summer of 2024, especially when finances were already strained: €31 million.