Evangelos Marinakis has said he is ready to extend boss Steve Cooper’s contract as Nottingham Forest prepare for life in the Premier League.
Cooper has succeeded where many other Reds managers before him have fallen short, in guiding the club back to the top-flight, ending a 23-year absence. His achievement is all the more remarkable given he walked into a dressing room which was at rock-bottom, both in morale and the team’s position in the league table.
The Welshman penned a two-year deal when he arrived at the City Ground last September. But Marinakis’ “top priority” now is said to be to reward Cooper and his coaching staff after victory over Huddersfield Town at Wembley.
Read more: Marinakis makes transfer promise to Steve Cooper after Nottingham Forest promotion
Read more: Steve Cooper's emotional speech to Forest fans as he hails 'powerful connection'
During Monday’s promotion celebrations in Nottingham’s Old Market Square, the Greek was asked if Cooper’s current deal would be extended. He told The Telegraph: “Yes, Steve will be with us. He has another year left on his contract but I want him to be happy.
“I want to give him the players that make him even happier to achieve big results and to make all these fantastic fans happy.”
Forest had one point from their first seven league games when Cooper replaced Chris Hughton at the helm. An incredible resurgence saw them push Bournemouth all the way for a top-two finish, before triumphing in the play-offs.
Marinakis said: “We had a lengthy conversation (in Piraeus, in Greece) and he showed me what he wanted to do. He was very well prepared and knew the team inside out.
“It was important to hear his plan, and let’s not forget, at the time we had just one point. He was optimistic and said the team was much better than what we saw with the table.
“At Forest, if we’d had a draw before, there was a mentality of ‘ok, next time’. No, it is not the next time - the time is now. We need to win now. Steve also has this mentality and that was also a very important criteria.”
