Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has played a role in their rise in recent years. The Greek Mogul helped them go from a mid-table Championship side to secure Premier League promotion last season.
Moreover, the way he has supported Steve Cooper with tons of new players over this season has surprised a lot of fans. Despite signing nearly an entire new squad of players over this campaign, Forest are still in a precarious position in the league and risk getting relegated in May.
For the second time this season, questions have been raised about Cooper’s ability and rumors have started flying that he’ll be sacked soon. Forest are currently in 17th place in the league and just above the relegation zone due to a superior goal difference with Bournemouth.
Amid all the speculation, Marinakis has himself come up with an encouraging statement to assure that Cooper is not going anywhere.
What did Evangelos Mariankis say about Steve Cooper?
In an official statement about Cooper’s future at Forest, Marinakis said: “No one denies that our Club is in a difficult position in the Premier League, but we wish to end the speculation and the false and disruptive reporting in the media to confirm that Steve Cooper remains our manager at Nottingham Forest.
“We have all been disappointed with recent performances and it is very clear that a lot of hard work needs to be done to address this urgently. Results and performances must improve immediately.
Really really well done! This must have been seriously hard to call, but I’m so glad we’ve backed our manager after 23 years of the revolving door. Thank you big man! Let’s hope this gives the players a big boost. COYR!
“Now is the time for everyone connected with our club, from us as owners, to the board, our supporters, backroom staff, coaches, and players – to come together and fight to secure our status in the Premier League.
“There can be no time for distractions, rumors, and speculation. There is only time for hard work, determination, a commitment from Steve and the players to getting the results we need, and, of course, the continued magnificent support of the fans of Nottingham Forest.”
What is Mariankis’ net worth?
Mariankis has done a lot to help Forest get promoted to the Premier League and dished out millions from his own pocket to fund transfers and improve the squad. That is even though he isn’t really among the richest owners in the league either.
Mariankis is a media tycoon in Greece and is also a shipowner. He set up the Capital Maritime & Trading Corporation, where he serves as the chairman. In his past time, he was also a songwriter and wrote a Smash Greek hit ‘Excitement’ (Eksapsi) from pop singer Natassa Theodoridou that clocked over 1 million views on YouTube upon its release in 2021.
He’s also the owner of the Greek side Olympiacos and has gained a reputation for helping fund a lot of money into that club too. Most of Mariankis’ money comes from his shipping business and revenue from the media.
While Evangelos’ listed worth is around £550m, his actual net worth is rumored to be around £2.5bn. This makes him richer than Liverpool owner John W.Henry – but unlike the American owner, Marinakis has spent a lot of cash from his own pocket for the benefit of his Premier League side.
The 55-year-old Greek Businessman has become a passionate owner of Forest since becoming a majority shareholder in 2017 and has taken the fans’ sentiment into account when making decisions. Mariankis gave Cooper a contract extension the last time his future at the club was being questioned, so it’s unlikely that he’ll fire the English manager irrespective of whatever happens at the end of the season.
