Evangelos Marinakis target spotted at the City Ground amid rumours he’s set to join Nottingham

Evangelos Marinakis and Nottingham Forest will be in for a busy Summer.

With European qualification of some kind near enough guaranteed, the extra burden that will be placed on the Nottingham Forest first-team next season means reinforcements will be needed.

And one major target was spotted at the City Ground during Nottingham Forest’s Premier League clash with Everton on Saturday, albeit not someone who will directly impact proceedings on the pitch.

Edu Gaspar spotted in the crowd for Nottingham Forest vs Everton

The Marinakis target was one Edu Gaspar.

As reported by Max Scott, the Brazilian was pictured taking his seat to watch Nuno Espirito Santo’s side take on the Toffees.

After Edu posted a farewell message to Arsenal fans on Thursday, the former Gunners’ Sporting Director has taken no time confirming what many already knew about his next move.

While his involvement with Nottingham Forest has not yet been officially confirmed, Marinakis has been in contact with Edu for some time now.

Espirito Santo has also spoken highly of Edu when asked about him, meaning all signs point to the 46-year-old playing a role of some sort with the Reds next season.

What Edu’s role at Nottingham Forest could involve

Edu’s expected role at Nottingham Forest will not be the same as it was at Arsenal.

At the Emirates, the former Premier League winner focused exclusively on improving Mikel Arteta’s side.

With Marinakis, he is expected to take a wider role, helping improve the three clubs the 57-year-old currently owns while also expanding his portfolio.

That still means involvement with Forest, however.

And after a strong campaign, many Forest fans will be hoping Edu can work his magic just as he did at the Emirates.

Last-gasp Abdoulaye Doucoure winner dents Nottingham Forest’s Champions League hopes

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Everton: Doucoure scored on the counter-attack to earn the visitors a 1-0 victory

Abdoulaye Doucoure’s last-minute winner for Everton dealt a big blow to Nottingham Forest’s Champions League hopes.

Forest already looked like having a disappointing day as they were being held by David Moyes’ side, but it got even worse in the fourth minute of time added on when Doucoure scored on the counter-attack to earn his side a 1-0 victory at the City Ground.

It was as much as they deserved as they were the better team and sees them win for the first time since mid-February.

Forest could have edged closer to guaranteeing their position in the Premier League top five, but the signs suggest they are getting nervy with the finish line in sight.

They followed up last week’s 2-1 loss at Aston Villa with a first home defeat since November.

A point could have ended up being a good result, given the level of their display, but with Manchester City and Aston Villa winning and Chelsea and Newcastle able to make up ground on Sunday, their cushion to sixth place could be cut to just three points by the end of the weekend.

The Toffees are undoubtedly a difficult side to play against as their revival under Moyes continues.

This is a game that will not live long in the memory. Indeed, the opening 45 minutes did little to contradict this week’s narrative that the Premier League is becoming boring as a scrappy, niggly and dull affair unfolded.

Forest were cumbersome and unusually poor in the transitions, meaning they carried little attacking threat and it was Everton who looked the more dangerous.

They closest they came in the first half was when Jack Harrison slipped James Garner in but the midfielder’s low shot was well saved by Matz Sels.

Forest did pick up before the break as Morgan Gibbs-White flashed an effort wide from distance before Callum Hudson-Odoi fired straight at Jordan Pickford after cutting in from the left.