Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is the driving force behind the team, Morgan Gibbs-White said after signing his new contract with the club.
In a bombshell announcement on Saturday evening, Gibbs-White committed his future to the City Ground with a new three-year deal.
It ends the saga around the attacking midfielder who had been the subject of interest from Tottenham, Thomas Frank’s side meeting the £60m release clause in Gibbs-White’s previous deal in what Forest felt was an illegal approach.
The 25-year-old will now lead the club into their first European campaign in 30 years. It’s been a sharp rise for the Reds over the past few years, and Gibbs-White credited Marinakis for the drive he inspired within the squad.
“I’m delighted,” Gibbs-White told the club. “So thank you to Mr Marinakis for believing in me.
“I feel like we’ve been on a rollercoaster of a journey, but I felt the love instantly from the very first moment I stepped through the doors.
“We’ve had difficult times but we’ve had a lot of highs. Last year was really exciting. We got to showcase what we’re about and what we’re trying to build as a team. Mr Marinakis is the base of that.
“Mr Marinakis is the main reason for that (ambition). We’ve built that culture inside the dressing room. I feel like that’s driven us all the way through.
“The manager’s been incredible since he’s come in. The fans have been amazing from the very first moment I joined.
“To give them back European football, it’s something as a dressing room, as a team, as a club, we’re all really proud about.
“They’re the ones who deserve it the most because they’re the ones who pay their hard-earned money to show up at the weekends, come and watch us play, support us and cheer us.
“They’re the ones who deserve it the most and we’re happy we’re able to give back to them.”
There’s now just over a month until Forest discover the eight clubs they will be facing in Europe. The draw for the Europa League group phase takes place on Friday, August 29.