Oliver Glasner Appointed Nottingham Forest Manager on Three-Year Deal
The former Crystal Palace boss shrugs off Forest's high managerial turnover as he targets long-term stability at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest have ushered in a new era with the appointment of Oliver Glasner, who insists he is undeterred by the club’s recent history of rapid managerial turnover. The 51-year-old Austrian was officially unveiled at the City Ground on Wednesday, having signed a three-year contract to become Forest’s fourth permanent manager in less than a year.
Glasner, who left Crystal Palace at the end of last season, arrives at a club that has experienced extraordinary instability in the dugout. He replaces Vitor Pereira following a turbulent 12-month period that also saw Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche take charge. The managerial carousel began last summer with the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo, leading to four different coaches leading the team since September.
Despite the high casualty rate among his predecessors, the former Eintracht Frankfurt boss—who famously guided the German side to UEFA Europa League glory in 2022—remains unfazed by the precarious nature of modern football management.
“I never sign and think about getting sacked,” Glasner said. “I just think: ‘OK, what do we have to do to bring success to the club?’”
Addressing the lack of continuity, Glasner used a colorful matrimonial analogy. “Nobody wants to get divorced. I don’t know how it’s in England but in Austria it’s 50%,” he joked. “So when you ask them at the wedding, they would say ‘yeah, not us’ but it happens. Every single club wants to have the same manager for a decade, have the same players as long as possible but that’s just not the real world – due to different reasons, due to different expectations, different plans in your life.”
At Crystal Palace, Glasner built a reputation for high-intensity, transition-based football, guiding the South London club to FA Cup and Europa Conference League success before stepping down in May. While his Palace teams frequently utilized a dynamic back-three system, Glasner cautioned that he will not simply replicate his previous tactical blueprint in the East Midlands.
“We are not here to be Palace 2,” Glasner warned. “The habits and the patterns are important, how to attack and defend, the spirit you create, to create a shared way of playing and understanding of what we want to do. I told the players I don’t know if we will play a back four or back three, we will get the players where they feel comfortable and it’s important they all play in their best positions.”
To implement his philosophy, Glasner will need to navigate a shifting squad dynamic. Forest are pivoting away from the wholesale spending that defined their return to the top flight, which included a £180 million recruitment drive last year. Instead, the club is prioritizing targeted quality over sheer quantity.
A primary objective is recruiting a midfielder to fill the void left by Elliot Anderson following his record-breaking move to Manchester City. The club is also actively targeting a goalkeeper and an additional striker.
Glasner admitted his natural eagerness has made the wait for new arrivals difficult, particularly with transfer activity slowed by players resting after the World Cup.
“I have one strength and weakness – it’s impatience,” Glasner admitted. “Sometimes it’s a strength, sometimes it’s a weakness. Of course, I would have hoped they had already trained with us. It’s impossible because the players we’re now talking to played at the World Cup so are still on vacation. I’m pretty convinced we will have a few players joining us in Portugal.”
Glasner’s tenure on the pitch begins on Saturday with a local pre-season friendly against Notts County. The fixture offers a historic nod to one of football’s oldest local rivalries, with Notts County’s Meadow Lane stadium situated just a short distance across the River Trent from Forest’s home.
