Nottingham Forest’s remarkable play to sign three of Botafogo’s top talents has been given a boost, with Evangelos Marinakis playing a big role.
Forest want three Botafogo stars in an ambitious raid to improve Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad, all spawned from the Reds’ initial interest in Igor Jesus.
With Forest in advanced talks to sign Jesus after the Club World Cup, Marinakis has also turned to Jair Cunha and Cuiabano in what must be a brutal blow for Botafogo fans.
Alongside Jesus, Forest’s bid for Jair has been sent, with a fresh report from Brazil showing just how crucial Marinakis will be to the success of these deals.
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Evangelos Marinakis’ relationship with Botafogo will be crucial
Marinakis wants to buy a Brazilian club to add to his multi-club model, so he has clearly been doing his homework on the region ahead of this potential purchase.
Botafogo are unlikely to be one of the options, as American John Textor already owns them as part of his conglomerate that includes Crystal Palace. In a report by UOL, the two businessmen’s similar outlooks on football have garnered a positive connection.
In a piece about the Jair deal, the report said: “John Textor has been directly handling negotiations with the English club, which is managed by Greek Evangelos Marinakis. The owners have a good relationship.”
However, this relationship may sour slightly if the pair eventually become rivals as Marinakis finally seizes control of a Brazilian football outfit.
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Evangelos Marinakis has been heavily linked with a Brazilian club
It has been said that Edu Gaspar will aid in the negotiations when Marinakis eventually purchases a Brazilian club, but the news on that deal has dried up.
According to The Telegraph in November: “Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek billionaire owner of Nottingham Forest, is in talks to buy a controlling stake in the historic Brazilian club Vasco da Gama, which would likely yield a key role for the former Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar.
“The Forest owner is building his own global multi-club group, including his original acquisition, Olympiakos, historically Greece’s most successful club; Forest and the top-flight Portuguese club Rio Ave.”
Negotiations may have quietened in terms of the purchase of Vasco da Gama, but little is also known about Edu’s role within Marinakis’ business, so there’s every chance that the ever-ambitious Forest owner has had Edu working on this deal since that November report.