The man Nottingham Forest fired as head of recruitment over a year ago will advise them on transfers during current window.
After owner Evangelos Marinakis and then-sporting director Filippo Giraldi reviewed their summer transfer business, George Syrianos was fired in October 2022. Prior to Syrianos’ dismissal, Forest signed 23 new players after being promoted to the Premier League the previous season, but they only managed five points from their first nine games. Giraldi did not survive long, spending six months in his job before resigning last April.
However, Mail Sport is aware that, despite quitting his full-time job, Syrianos reestablished tight ties with Forest last summer and is still involved in recruitment through his business, Fenida. Fenida claims to offer “advanced football analysis” and to have clients in the Champions League, La Liga, and Bundesliga on their website. Syrianos has been spotted in the directors’ box during games at the City Ground.
In April of last year, Ross Wilson was named chief football officer and promoted Tom Stockwell, the former head of scouting for Southampton, to a top recruitment position. However, the proprietors of Forest still rely heavily on Syrianos in spite of those modifications.
Syrianos was instrumental in locating players for the summer 2022 Bundesliga. While Moussa Niakhate, Orel Mangala, and Taiwo Awoniyi had injury issues during his time at Forest, Awoniyi and Mangala were key players on the team that escaped relegation under Steve Cooper’s leadership.
When evaluating transfers, Fenida asserts that it employs “statistical analysis as well as market understanding.” “We know how to assemble the most formidable rosters.”
Rivals of Forest think there might be deals this month while the team waits to find out if they will be prosecuted for exceeding spending limits.
At the beginning of the following week, Forest will find out if they violated the Financial Fair Play rules, which resulted in Everton’s earlier-season point punishment.
After signing 43 players in the last three transfer windows, influential Forest figures are advising the owners to proceed cautiously during this window.
