Evangelos Marinakis outlines Nottingham Forest 'dream' as secrets to success revealed
Nottingham Forest being back among the European elite would be “a dream come true” for owner Evangelos Marinakis.
At the halfway stage of the Premier League season, the Reds are very much in the mix at the top end of the table. Nuno Espirito Santo’s third-placed side are level on points with Arsenal, with both teams six adrift of leaders Liverpool.
Securing Champions League qualification is a distinct possibility as Forest aim to maintain their impressive form in the second half of the campaign. And for a club with such a storied history in Europe, most notably with Brian Clough’s double European Cup-winning Miracle Men, a return to competing on the continent would be quite the achievement.
"A dream come true,” Marinakis said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport when asked what the Reds qualifying for Europe would mean. “Sometimes it happens and you have to believe in it. We will give our all to give this satisfaction to our fans.”
When he bought the club in 2017, Marinakis outlined his wish to “bring back the glory days” to the City Ground. Given the team’s lofty position in the Premier League table, he is delighted with how this term is going.
"It's a great satisfaction that rewards our work,” he said. “In the pre-season the results had comforted us and we were confident, but the boys are going beyond expectations. There is a great team spirit between the older and younger players.”
Marinakis is an ambitious man. He has enjoyed plenty of success with Olympiacos, where he has been at the helm since 2010, and spoke last year about his “big dreams” for Forest.
He recently brought in Lina Souloukou as chief executive of the Reds, having previously worked with her at Olympiacos. And the shipping magnate is convinced the appointment can help steer Forest to even greater heights.
Asked about the secret to his clubs doing well, Marinakis said: "The work, choosing the right people to have alongside you and the fans. Our people in Greece carry us, but the atmosphere is also fantastic in Nottingham - in our stadium you can breathe the history of a club that has won the European Cup."
"Lina and I know each other well because she worked with me at Olympiacos,” he added. “She is a manager of great depth and international experience. I am convinced that at Nottingham she will help us reach ambitious goals.”
