The boardroom at Nottingham Forest has had a few shake-ups this season, but a further change could be on the way as League One Huddersfield plot an ambitious swoop.
Most notably, Evangelos Marinakis suspended his involvement with Forest to comply with UEFA rulings on involvement in multiple clubs in the same competition, with Olympiacos and the Reds potentially both in the Champions League next season.
It’s been made clear that Marinakis will resume control if Forest miss out on Champions League football, but other board members such as Ioannis Vrentzos left Forest for the same reason and likely won’t return.
However, one crucial cog of the City Ground setup may also be set to depart, with League One Huddersfield Town offering a tempting perk.
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Ross Wilson could be tempted by Huddersfield role
Ross Wilson is Forest’s Sporting Director and has been so since last season’s summer transfer window, overseeing crucial arrivals such as Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, who have formed one of the Premier League’s top defensive pairs.
The Scotsman has previous experience in the same role at Rangers and Southampton, too, and could be about to add another club to that list as, according to Alan Nixon, Huddersfield are seriously interested in Wilson.
Nixon said: “Nottingham Forest director of football Ross Wilson is a shock target for Huddersfield Town.
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“Wilson has been at Forest since joining from Rangers, but the Terriers want him to drop down two divisions to take charge of them. The experienced Wilson is based close to Huddersfield and could be interested.”
Wilson’s departure would certainly leave a hole in Forest’s football structure, but the imminent arrival of Edu Gaspar could quickly fill it.
Edu Gaspar could replace Ross Wilson’s Nottingham Forest role
Despite all the rumours, Edu has yet to sign a contract at Forest, but is still expected to begin work in Marinakis’ wider football empire in the summer.
Given that his role at Arsenal was the equivalent of Wilson’s at Forest, it could make sense for the Brazilian to initially take a more hands-on role at the City Ground than at Marinakis’ other clubs should Wilson depart.
The role of the Sporting Director is incredibly crucial this summer as Forest are planning a significant transfer spend and will need a robust direction to ensure Nuno Espírito Santo sees genuine improvements to his squad.
It certainly wouldn’t be the ideal time for Wilson to depart the club, but at least the safety net of Edu’s imminent arrival would, in theory, smooth over the exit period.