NafisaNottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has expressed optimism about a potential collaboration with former Arsenal sporting director Edu, hinting at a future partnership within his multi-club ownership model.The Greek shipping magnate, who also owns Olympiacos in Greece and Rio Ave in Portugal, has reportedly been eyeing further expansion into Brazil and Italy. Edu, who recently stepped down from his position at Arsenal, cited his desire for “a different challenge,” fueling speculation about his next move. Meanwhile, Marinakis has been linked to acquiring Brazilian club Vasco da Gama.Speaking to Sky Sports, Marinakis praised Edu’s credentials and hinted at a global project in the pipeline. “Edu was a very good player and also a very good sporting and technical director.
I have a lot of respect for him. What I can say is that I would like to cooperate with him on a much bigger project, a global project.“I’m optimistic that in case all this goes ahead, it will be another successful venture for both of us. I’m very optimistic about it, but we need to see how this will be developed and finalised, if and when time allows.”Marinakis, 57, remains focused on his ambitious vision to expand his football empire. While discussing his potential ventures in Brazil and Italy, he underscored his preference for taking charge of historic and fan-centric clubs. “There are discussions, and what I can say is that whatever I want to get involved in needs to be something major.“The tradition is very important, and it always makes more sense to me to manage or own. But in big clubs where we’re talking about millions of supporters, you don’t consider it as ownership.
“I cannot use the word that I ‘bought’ Olympiacos or I ‘bought’ Nottingham Forest. This is something huge. It’s for all the supporters, for millions of people, so I cannot see it as a business.”Closer to home, Marinakis has reaffirmed his commitment to propelling Nottingham Forest into the Premier League’s top six. His ambitions have resonated with head coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who spoke about the club’s progress ahead of their weekend clash with Manchester United.“I think he expressed the man that we know, his ambitions and his desire to grow and improve. We try to follow, doing the best we can,” Nuno said.“(Qualifying for a place in Europe) is a high demand. Everything needs time. We are in a good way of building a team and a squad.
The way we kept our players (in the summer) was a good move in terms of stability and calmness for us to grow. Now we are trying to improve game by game.”
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