Nottingham Forest is an absolutely glorious basket case of a football club. A generous yet unpredictable firecracker of an owner, chaotic off the pitch and unpredictable on it, the next installment of the Forest soap opera is never far away.
Last season they burned through four managers, were involved in a relegation scrap to avoid returning to the Championship and yet reached the semi-final of the Europa League.
There was no stability, no strategy; just fallouts, firings and chaos. The summer promised to have journalists salivating with a string of juicy headlines.
Then shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis, who has owned Forest since 2017 (taking over from another high profile, crazy owner) pulled an extraordinary rabbit from his rather large hat.
He employed Oliver Glasner as head coach.
Glasner a major coup
Since they returned to the Premier League in 2022, Forest have spent, and spent big. You always had the sense the manager would turn up on a Monday morning with more players he had no knowledge of and who had no idea were meant to play for him.
But before the transfer window opened, they made their most important signing of the summer in Glasner. The Austrian was fresh from his two-year stint at Crystal Palace, where he won the Europa Conference League, FA Cup and Community Shield in the space of 12 months (Palace’s first ever trophies to boot). Prior to that, he guided Eintracht Frankfurt to UEFA Europa League glory in 2022.
I and plenty of others expected Glasner to go to a top club, not one which was on a par at best with Palace.
This is a coup, make no bones about it.
Glasner’s tactical identity is built around an intense high-press, energetic wing-back play, and a fluid 3-4-2-1 structure that transitions rapidly into attack. For a Forest team that often struggled for structural identity during last season’s carnage, Glasner brings  a clear, disciplined philosophy and one which should immediately warm him to the City Ground faithful.
Unintentional Irony
As an ironic footnote, Glasner and Palace would never have even been in the Conference League last season had it not been for Marinakis and Forest. Palace actually qualified for the Europa League but Forest, who finished one place below them in the Conference League qualification spot, complained that Palace had broken mutli-club ownership rules.
So Palace were demoted one spot to the Conference League. And then Glasner won it. Forest took their place in the Europa League, and didn’t win it. You could say Forest did Palace a favor, though that wasn’t their intention. Now the man that put him there has taken their manager. It’s a funny old game.
Key players
One of Glasner’s first headaches will be how to replace the hole left by the departure of Elliott Anderson to Manchester City for an English record transfer fee of $154 million in the summer (That record was beaten a few days later when Morgan Rogers moved from Aston Villa to Chelsea for $155m). But he has several key performers he will hope to rely on.
Top of the list is Morgan Gibbs-White, whose late run of form having been moved into a more attacking central role saw him being touted for a World Cup place. Every fantasy league manager’s dream in the closing stages of the season, Gibbs-White will hope to pick up where he left off.
Brazilian centre half Murillo continued his rapid development as one of the Premier League’s most impressive young defenders, his party piece being impeccable long-range passing.
Ola Aina is another who caught the eye last season from full-back, getting up and down the flanks impressively.
Whilst an injury hit season might mean New Zealand international Chris Wood is passed his best, he’s been written off too many times and can still be a effective target man and goal threat if he can stay fit and get the right service.
New arrivals
While Forest’s previous transfer policy might seem chuck money at everything and see who turns up, this summer has felt more target, with Glasner going for defensive composure and technical quality in transition.
The marquee signing (so far) has been 22-year-old Ivory Coast international Ousmane Diomande, a powerhouse centre-back arrives for $40 million as the flagship addition to anchor the three-man central defence alongside Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic.
Dilane Bakwa ($40) adds raw speed and direct dribbling out wide which will suit the transition. Think Anthony Elanga but better.
Luca Netz comes in at left wing back while Xaver Schlager arrives on a free – yes free – as an experienced midfielder Glasner knows well from his time in Austria and Germany and a player with Champions League experience. He could easily be one of the most underrated yet effective transfers Forest make.
Yet the hole Anderson left hasn’t seemed to have been filled. Maybe it won’t be, or need to be, in a 4-2-3-1, although that’s where in excels for England as one of the 2.
Don’t be surprised if Forest pull out another key midfielder before the transfer window closes, along with a striker. Wood is 34 now, his injury record is a concern and Igor Jesus has hardly set Nottingham alight.
So, what’s going to happen this time?
This time last year Nuno EspÃrito Santo was in charge. Then it was Ange Postecoglou. And then it was Sean Dyche. Finally it was Vitor Pereira.
The warning signs are there for Glasner. The moment things start not going so well, or the moment you criticise the owner, or the moment you put the wrong amount of milk in his coffee, you’re out.
You’d like to think that Marinakis is more sensible this time. He’s landed a manager better than all of the above. And, if we’re brutally honest here, better than Forest should have been able to attract.
He needs to give Glasner patience and time, something he’s not exactly famous for doing.
Yet Forest enter the season for once, with a sense of stability around the place. Elite manager, good signings, a strong existing squad. The future looks good.
The main challenge will be the speed at which the squad adapts to Glasner’s demanding physical pressing system. Early fixtures against top-six opposition will test their resolve, but the individual quality within the squad should ensure they avoid another tense relegation fight.
Looking upwards to higher midtable shouldn’t be beyond them, providing a platform for another European push in 27/28. If Marinakis’ patience holds out.
Nick has enjoyed a highly successful career in journalism and the media. He spent 23 years in the UK national print media, including 15 years on the Daily Telegraph as a senior reporter. He is also an experienced commentator and communications expert. His broadcast appearances include Newsnight, Sky News, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Television, BBC Radio Scotland and local television in Scotland and England. He currently hosts The Road to World Cup 26 podcast.
