NOTTINGHAM Forest owner and chairman Fawaz al-Hasawi insisted yesterday that manager Stuart Pearce was involved in the decision to sell Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow.

Pearce reacted with some annoyance on Monday evening when asked about the two players joining Newcastle insisting that they had been allowed to leave against his advice.

Central defender Lascelles, 20, and goalkeeper Darlow, 23, have since completed their moves to the Magpies, who will loan them back to the Reds for their 2014-15 Sky Bet Championship campaign.

Hasawi insists the decision was purely a business one made with the best interests of the club in mind and that there was no room for sentiment.

He believes the money the club will receive — thought to be about £7 million — will help bring Forest in line with Financial Fair Play guidelines as well as help strengthen the squad.

In a statement the Kuwaiti businessman said: “I would love nothing more than to hold on to our best young players.

“The manager and I openly discussed the proposed sale of Karl and Jamaal and he was aware of the negotiations throughout.

“The business side of football is changing and the requirement to increase revenue means, unfortunately, difficult decisions have to be made.”

Pearce had told the Nottingham Post on Monday that he was aware of the offer from Newcastle but stressed: “I said I would not do that deal.

“I thought I could push their value up and that they would be worth more in the long run.

“The first I heard today about things was when Jamaal Lascelles came in and told me that he had a medical at 2pm at Newcastle.

“That disappointed me greatly.”