Marinakis has ‘played a blinder’ as Nottingham Forest off-pitch deal agreed

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has hailed Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis after the club agreed a deal to stay at the City Ground.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – claimed the Forest owner has “played a blinder” after clashing with city councillors.

(8 July), Nottingham City Council has agreed in principle to sell the land around the City Ground to Forest.

Talks on a new lease between the club and the council broke down earlier this year, with the Premier League side then threatening to move to a new 50,000-seater out-of-town stadium.

But this new agreement is now set to allow Forest to expand capacity from 29,000 to 40,000 by rebuilding two stands.

Nottingham Forest owner Marinakis ‘gets what he wants’ as council ‘cave in’, says Wyness

Wyness claimed councillors would have made a big mistake if Forest moved out of the city.

“I don’t know what the numbers are, but I don’t think it matters.

“The club have got the land they wanted and they’re now able to increase capacity in two stands.

“The council have done the right thing. There’s no way they should’ve lost the club out of the city centre.

“It’s a major revenue-earner for Nottingham. In many ways, Forest are the big attraction.

“It’s a great city, I went to university there. I’m pleased politics have been removed from the situation, because it was a case of councillors thinking they could play it a lot harder than they could.

“I think Marinakis has played a blinder, he’s got what he wanted – and quite quickly too.”