Marinakis has golden chance to gazump Aston Villa by taking £27m wonderkid to Nottingham Forest - opinion
03/23/2025 06:00 AM
Nottingham Forest have a very ambitious owner in Evangelos Marinakis and he’s on the cusp of the freedom of Nottingham.
That might be a stretch but bringing Champions League football to Forest would be one of the best things the Premier League has seen for some time.
Marinakis was keen to sign a striker in January. He wanted Forest to maintain their push towards the Champions League but was ultimately left frustrated.
Moves for Yoane Wissa and Matheus Cunha broke down and Forest are forced to press ahead with the players currently at the club with the summer providing another chance to strengthen.
The relationship between Olympiacos and Forest is there because of ambitious owner Marinakis and UEFA will need to run the rule over the two clubs should they both qualify for the Champions League next season.
Nottingham Forest have golden chance to gazump Aston Villa for Charalampos Kostoulas
The Greek wonderkid is one of European football’s most sought-after talents and a host of Premier League clubs are courting him.
According to Caught Offside, Aston Villa are leading the chase for the centre-forward who is thought to be valued at around £27 million.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are also keen to sign the player but surely, Marinakis has something up his sleeve with this one.
It’s only two months ago that Marinakis was spending hours a day on the phone trying desperately to get a new striker to the City Ground.
So, quite why he would let one of Europe’s top talents join another Premier League club ahead of Forest is a mystery.
These reports seem nonsensical – at least in our view – and the fact that Forest are mentioned in the latest report is very telling indeed.
Charalampos Kostoulas stats 2024/25
At 17, Kostoulas has a lot of learning to do and at £27 million perhaps it would represent a sizeable outlay.
However, if Forest get in the Champions League, there’s a genuine possibility that the Reds might land more than one talisman.
| Charalampos Kostoulas stats 2024/25 | Total |
| Appearances | 35 |
| Goals | 11 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Yellow Cards | 4 |
Viktor Gyokeres is a target for Forest and at least one marquee signing will be made if the continent’s elite club competition is on the agenda for Forest next season.
Kostoulas would be a sound investment in the future and if Marinakis could bring him to Forest, he could have a starring role in the side under Nuno Espirito Santo.
