‘I blocked player transfers after legendary fights with agents’ – Insider’s Nottingham Forest verdict
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is renowned for his controversial outbursts as well as his thirst for legal action.
The Greek billionaire took control of the Trentside club back in 2017, helping them earn promotion to the Premier League in 2022.
Last week, it looked as if Forest were losing star man Morgan Gibbs-White, after Tottenham tried to trigger his release clause.
However, Marinakis sent Spurs chairman Daniel Levy a notice of legal action, as he felt the North London club had obtained information about the clause illegally.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that it is “no surprise” that Marinakis brought the issue to the fore, and decided to go down the legal route.
‘Nottingham Forest block Gibbs-White deal, Marinakis has a point’
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Marinakis had a valid point of complaint, and that it was a tricky situation.
Gibbs-White has now signed a new contract at Forest, ending any chance of a switch to Tottenham this summer.
Wyness added that he’d prefer disputes like these to be solved within football, rather than going legal.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It was a tricky situation, and no surprise it was Marinakis that brought this one to the fore.
“It’s all about information and the role that agents play. I had some great relationships with some very good agents that were really helpful, and I had some fights that were legendary with agents. I refused to deal with them and stopped player transfers from going through because of it.
“It’s just a fact of the business. If you’re going to deal in these areas, you’ve got to learn how to work with the system and work within it. I got the Forest point, but that would probably be the first of maybe 100 transfers where this sort of thing has happened before.
“I never like to see lawyers involved, as I’ve said many times. I hate seeing disputes that go legal. I’d rather keep everything within football wherever possible.”
Forest lead race for Villa star
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are the current front-runners in their pursuit of Aston Villa star Jacob Ramsey despite growing interest from rival clubs, sources have told Football Insider.
Forest are facing competition from the likes of Everton, who are planning an ambitious move for the midfielder as they aim to bolster David Moyes’ squad.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side would be prepared to move ahead of rivals for his signature, with the allure of European football and willingness to spend big giving them an advantage.
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