Nottingham Forest served as the backdrop for John Textor’s latest remarks about his alignment with Evangelos Marinakis.
In a long conversation with Brazilian influencers, the Botafogo owner explained why the Premier League club sits at the centre of a multi-country partnership.
The club connection
For starters, Textor noted that Botafogo is not part of Marinakis’ network, and the Nottingham Forest owner has no stake in Eagle Football. Still, he said the Greek businessman has become the strategic partner he once expected to find at Crystal Palace.
In his words: “He really has become the partner we wanted to have with Crystal Palace. I believe it is important to have a strong club in Brazil, a strong club in Europe and a strong club in the United Kingdom.”
He added that Marinakis offers reach across several countries. He stressed that the owner’s presence in Portugal, Greece and with Nottingham Forest creates a structure that helps move players through different markets. He also praised Marinakis’s belief in Brazilian talent. “More than any other owner I have met, he believes in Brazilian talent,” he said.
Exchanging players
Textor described a broad exchange network. “He is sending players to us in France. Then he sent Danilo to us in Brazil, and we have sent younger players to him in Portugal.”
Then he added that transfer values can shift depending on previous dealings. “Sometimes the value you put on a transfer can be adjusted to compensate for some discrepancy that occurred in another part of the relationship, even if it involved a completely different player.”
He argued that negotiating with a regular partner works differently from dealing with a club on a one-off basis. According to him, long-term cooperation changes how both sides distribute risk, value and timing. This approach, he said, underpins the moves involving Nottingham Forest… And explains why some valuations may look unusual from the outside.
The American mogul framed the partnership as a long-term pillar. How it evolves, and how Forest continue to benefit from it given Textor’s delicate situation in Brazil, remains to be seen.
