According to the Belfast Telegraph, Nottingham Forest had to pay Martin O’Neill £500k in severance pay following his departure from the club. This is in addition to the £895k O’Neill received after his dismissal from the Republic of Ireland.
The 67-year-old only joined Forest in January and was expected to be given 18 months to get the North-East side back into the Premier League. His first season at the City Ground didn’t go well, however, with Forest finishing ninth in the Championship.
The Reds picked up fewer points-per-game on average than before O’Neill was appointed, and a post-season appraisal from the squad of their manager led to his swift sacking. He was quickly replaced by Sabri Lamouchi who has since overseen his first friendly in charge.
It could be argued that Evangelos Marinakis didn’t have a lot of faith in O’Neill when appointing him six months ago – evident from the 18-month deal he was handed. But the problems with squad harmony forced the Forest owner to take action.
Paying £500k in severance pay isn’t the worst thing, but O’Neill has now been dismissed twice in less than a year. Where he’ll go next is anyone’s guess.
