Evangelos Marinakis says Nottingham Forest’s promotion to the Premier League has had a knock-on effect for Olympiacos.
The shipping magnate owns both clubs and has overseen a significant summer shopping spree in England and in Greece.
The Reds brought in 22 players, while Olympiacos have caught the eye by adding high-profile names such as James Rodriguez and Marcelo to their squad.
The duo have Forest signings Josh Bowler and Hwang Ui-jo as teammates, after they made the move on loan immediately after putting pen to paper at the City Ground. They will now have a new manager to impress as Spanish coach Michel has replaced Carlos Corberan at the helm.
Marinakis spoke to the media as Michel was officially unveiled. And he discussed the impact of owning both the Reds and Olympiacos on transfer business.
In a translated interview on Olympiacos’ official website, Marinakis was asked how he convinced players such as Marcelo and James to agree terms. He replied: “With the experience we have and the contacts we have in European football. I believe this is something that helps us. To be able to negotiate and convince some big players to come to Greece and play for Olympiacos.
“I think that these 12 years at Olympiacos have done a lot. And a lot has been done not only in Greece, with our successes in Greece, but also in Europe. That is why many evenings and many days of ours may constitute a whole life for others. Or 10 lives,” Marinakis said.
“We continue to make use of these contacts. What has also helped a lot is our involvement with Nottingham Forest. It is something that helps Olympiacos and Greek football. Now that he (Forest) is in the Premier League it helps us even more. He always works in favour of Olympiacos. When you can talk to different people all over Europe from a Premier League team, it definitely makes your job a lot easier here in Greece. As I was jokingly telling Michel when he came, we have become a little colony of Real Madrid.”