Evangelos Marinakis, Edu and the Nottingham Forest ‘project’ that clinched summer transfer

admin-cdn4 days ago

0 0 3 minutes read

Evangelos Marinakis, Edu and the Nottingham Forest 'project' that clinched summer transfer

Latest Nottingham Forest news as James McAtee discusses summer transfer from Man City to the City Ground

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis(Image: Getty)

James McAtee has revealed the key roles played by Evangelos Marinakis and Edu in convincing him to sign for Nottingham Forest.

The 23-year-old joined the Reds on a five-year deal from boyhood club Manchester City in the summer. Forest had admired him for some time and splashed out £30 million as they fought off competition from elsewhere to secure his services.

There was strong interest in the versatile midfielder from Germany – with the likes of Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt linked – but he was eager to stay in the Premier League. Elliot Anderson did his bit in tempting McAtee to the City Ground as the pair discussed a possible move while playing for England at the Under-21 Euros.

Both were part of the successful Young Lions squad that lifted the trophy in June. During the tournament, McAtee also had conversations with Reds owner Marinakis and global head of football Edu, who persuaded him to put pen to paper.

“I spoke to them while I was at the Euros, I talked with them quite a bit,” McAtee said of the duo. “They convinced me.”

In an interview with Four Four Two, he added: “Some of the clubs mentioned were just social media talk. I only heard of a few clubs, but Germany was a big option for me. I went out to Germany and it was impressive, but my heart wanted to stay in the Premier League and try to prove myself here.

“Forest had a great year last season. They’re in Europe and that was a big pull, because I want to play in Europe as much as possible. It was the freedom that players get, too – you look at Morgan Gibbs-White, he gets a lot of freedom on the pitch and that’s something I enjoy.

Get breaking Forest news sent direct to your phone

Join our Nottingham Forest WhatsApp group and get the latest breaking news, interviews and opinion sent straight to your phone, plus matchday team news and live updates of all the action. Just click here and select ‘Join Community’ to get started. The only proviso is that you must have WhatsApp on your phone to participate. No one will be able to see your personal information and you will only receive messages from the NottinghamshireLive Reds writers.

We will not spam your WhatsApp feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily with the latest Reds stories. If you later decide to opt out, just go to the name at the top of your screen and click ‘Exit Group’. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. If you are curious, you can click here to read our Privacy Notice.

“I already knew Morgan and Elliot. I was speaking to Elliot during the whole Euros about the club. He’s a good friend. It sounded like a good project. He got his (senior England) call-up and had a great season – I saw that, and I wanted to do similar.”

Making the switch to the banks of the Trent ended McAtee’s 12-year association with City, as he went in search of more regular game time. Although he has made only five appearances in the Garibaldi to date, he is certain he made the right call.

Asked about telling City boss Pep Guardiola of his decision to leave the Etihad Stadium, McAtee said: “Leaving my childhood club was tough, but I think we both knew it was the right time and the right thing to do. It wasn’t a tough decision in the end. Most people know it was the right one.

“I kind of knew it (was time to move on) when I had to make the choice to go to the Euros. I’m getting older now, and it was time to play and get my name out there.”

He added: “I want to try to impress here. I just want consistent football – I feel like I’ve not had that for a good three years now, and it’s hard to always get back in the rhythm straight away. But I know that I have to work hard for it and prove myself. In every good team you’re going to have to battle for your spot. That’s something I’m willing to do.”