Nottingham Forest technical director Francois Modesto has opened up on his connection with the club’s owner Evangelos Marinakis.
Modesto was announced as the Reds’ technical director in the summer, while fellow Frenchman Jose Anigo was unveiled as the club’s head of international recruitment.
Both are understood to have already been working at the club for some time before their appointments were confirmed, with Modesto playing an important role in the arrival of Sabri Lamouchi and working closely with him since.
His focus is on the recruitment for the first-team , having a technical role, while director of football Kyriakos Dourekas will focus on the operational side.
Prior to his role on Trentside, Modesto was chief scout at Greek outfit Olympiacos, where he was also a player for three years.
The former defender has opened up on the close relationship he has with owner Marinakis, who bought Forest in 2017.
“It's a special story with him,” said Modesto in a translated interview with So Foot.
“When he bought the club in 2010, I am the first player he signs. So he trusts me right away.
“And then three championship titles, two cups, good courses in Europe ... Everything worked, I became a centerpiece of the team and I fully adhered to the project.
“After, I was surprised by his proposal. Olympiacos is a big club, it could have given the job to a lot of other former players of the club.
“He is a great businessman in Greece and in the world, I think he is not crazy and he saw something in me that could be good for his club.
“He has great confidence in me and I am very grateful to him.
“We have a relationship that goes beyond work.
“And then he was patient with me because at first I made mistakes too.
“It's normal, I was sports director at 38 years without experience. But he still trusted me, and today, if I'm here in Nottingham with this project, I owe it to him alone.”
