Pundit Simon Jordan has praised Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis for his show of ambition.
The Greek has bankrolled a significant spending spree at the City Ground this summer, following the Reds’ promotion to the Premier League. Twenty-one additions were made during the transfer window, with free agent full-back Serge Aurier likely to become signing number 22.
Marinakis has made clear he wants to build on the success of last season, with Forest keen to establish themselves in the top-flight. And former Crystal Palace chief Jordan says the shipping magnate has backed up his words by splashing the cash.
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He told talkSPORT: “So, let me get this right, the only people who are allowed to have ambition are players and managers?! But woe betide an owner that has ambition?!
“I’ve never heard of anything so preposterous. And if you’re going to have ambition, the one thing you must do is back it (up).
“The bottom line is, he then backed it. He then backed it. He then backed it with 150 million quid. I mean, what do you say to that?”
It comes as BBC pundit Garth Crooks warned Forest their transfer plan may not pay off. He said: "As for Forest, they have a deep and troubling issue taking place at the City Ground.
"They seem to have an owner who thinks, by simply throwing money at a Premier League club, he can save it from relegation. I can name him numerous clubs that have tried that and lived to regret it."
Marinakis had set out his plan to support boss Steve Cooper in the transfer market in an open letter to fans. Following the club’s victory over Huddersfield Town at Wembley, he wrote back in June: “We will give Steve and his team all the ammunition he needs in order to be competitive next season and will try not only to maintain our position in the Premier League, but to perform well, because the sky is the limit. In my life, whatever I have been involved with, I have always wanted to be at the top. It might seem difficult today, but it will be easier as time goes by.
“Everybody here lives with memories from the past (with this history), but sometimes we don’t see the future because we always talk about the past. Now, we need to draw a line and write a new history for this club. Brian Clough did a lot for this club and had big achievements. Forty years later, Steve Cooper has done something similar, even more difficult. We respect our history, but now is the time to write a new history even brighter.”
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