Oliver Glasner takes over Nottingham Forest: an ambitious turn at the City Ground after Vítor Pereira’s departure
Nottingham Forest has opened a new chapter by appointing Oliver Glasner as head coach, a move that at the City Ground simultaneously carries a message of ambition and the need for stabilisation. The English Premier League club from Nottingham confirmed the arrival of the Austrian specialist on 06 July 2026, after parting ways with Vítor Pereira, while the Associated Press reported that he is Forest’s fifth manager in ten months. Glasner arrives after leaving Crystal Palace, where he built a reputation as a coach capable of combining an organised team structure, a clear competitive idea and results in high-pressure matches. For a club that has gone through frequent changes on the bench in a short period, the appointment of the 51-year-old Austrian represents an attempt to enter the new Premier League season with a more recognisable direction. At the centre of the decision is not only a change of coach, but also the question of whether Forest can move from a period of constant adjustment into a phase of more systematic development.
An appointment intended to stop the sequence of changes
According to Sky Sports’ report, Glasner succeeded Pereira after the Portuguese coach left his position despite Forest retaining Premier League status and, according to the same source, reaching the Europa League semi-finals. Such a context makes the decision particularly sensitive because the dismissal did not come after a complete sporting collapse, but after a season in which the club nevertheless achieved several important goals. The Associated Press states that Forest finished below Crystal Palace in the Premier League table, but also recalls the historical weight of the club that was European champion in 1979 and 1980. It is precisely this combination of tradition, instability and ambition that explains why Glasner’s arrival has been presented as much more than a routine change on the bench. Forest is now trying to find a coach who can manage the pressure of ownership expectations, the demands of the Premier League and growing ambitions in the European context.
British media emphasise that Glasner arrived in Nottingham as a coach with fresh trophy-winning capital, not as a specialist who still has to prove his ability at the highest level. According to Sports Mole, in the club’s reasoning for his appointment Forest particularly highlighted his leadership, tactical knowledge and winning mentality. This is an important message for the dressing room because the club is entering preparations with the clear intention that the new coaching staff should not be merely a temporary solution. At the same time, every new change on the bench carries the risk of an additional reset of the process, especially if the players have had to adopt different working styles in previous months. That is why the first weeks of Glasner’s mandate will be important not only because of results in preparations, but also because of the way in which he establishes authority, communication and hierarchy within the team.
Marinakis sends a message about returning among the more important clubs
Owner Evangelos Marinakis, in the club’s message according to the Associated Press, stressed that Forest’s goal is to reposition itself among the leading English and European clubs. Marinakis described Glasner as a coach who has shown throughout his career the ability to build successful teams and achieve results against strong competition. Such wording clearly reflects the owner’s ambition, but also raises the threshold of expectations at a time when the club is still seeking long-term balance. In recent seasons, Forest has managed to consolidate itself in the Premier League after returning to the elite tier of English football, while an official club announcement from 2025 stressed that participation in European competition in 2025/26 marked a return to the international stage after 30 seasons. The arrival of a coach who has already won European trophies therefore fits into the broader narrative of a club that does not want to remain merely a participant in competitions, but wants to build a higher level of competitiveness.
Marinakis’s message also has another side: it places Glasner in an environment where success will be measured more quickly than in more stable projects. Forest’s recent history on the bench shows that patience cannot be taken for granted, so the Austrian coach will have to quickly convince the board, players and supporters that his model brings measurable progress. That does not necessarily mean an immediate chase for the top of the table, but it does mean that clear play, greater resilience in runs of difficult matches and better control of transitional phases of the season will be demanded. The Premier League does not leave much room for gradual learning, especially for clubs that simultaneously want to avoid a relegation battle and move closer to the upper part of the standings. That is precisely why Glasner is an interesting choice: his work so far shows that he knows how to structure a team quickly, but Forest will test whether he can do so in an environment that has long been searching for continuity.
Why Glasner’s work at Crystal Palace changed his status
The most important part of Glasner’s reputation in England is linked to his spell at Crystal Palace. According to Crystal Palace’s official announcement, the Austrian coach left the club with three major trophies won over a period of 13 months, with a total of 121 matches on the bench and 51 victories. In its analysis of the 2025 FA Cup final, the Premier League highlighted that Palace, with victory over Manchester City, won the first major trophy in the club’s history and secured European football. The Associated Press also states that Glasner then led Palace to the UEFA Conference League title, further strengthening his status as a coach who can transform mid-table ambition into a concrete trophy-winning result. For Forest, this is especially relevant because it is looking for exactly that kind of step forward: a stable base in the league, but also the ability to seize a favourable moment in cups or European competitions.
Crystal Palace also stressed in its own statistical retrospective that Glasner’s mandate brought one of the most successful phases in the club’s history. During that period, according to club data, Palace had the second-highest win percentage among coaches who led it exclusively in the top tier, while the team simultaneously developed defensive solidity and effectiveness in transition. Such indicators explain why Forest sees him as more than a coach who won one major final. Glasner’s Palace was not a team that relied only on individual inspiration, but a system that knew how to survive periods of pressure, defend space and attack with clear automatisms. Precisely that combination of discipline and directness could be useful for Forest, whose team in previous seasons often showed quality in individual phases, but not always enough stability throughout an entire campaign.
European experience from Frankfurt as an additional argument
Glasner’s coaching CV was not built only in England. When appointing him in 2024, Crystal Palace recalled that with Eintracht Frankfurt he won the UEFA Europa League in 2021/22, the German club’s first major European trophy after more than four decades. The same club announcement stated that Frankfurt remained unbeaten in that European campaign and, a year later, reached the German Cup final and the last sixteen of the Champions League. That continuity in European football is important for Forest because it shows that Glasner is not only a coach for the domestic league rhythm, but also a specialist who knows how to prepare a team for different styles, travel and tactical challenges. Such experience can be decisive if the club wants to seriously rebuild its international identity.
Before Frankfurt, Glasner worked in Austria and Germany, and his path was not marked by an immediate leap to the biggest clubs, but by gradual development through environments in which he had to raise the level of organisation. In its biographical profile, Crystal Palace stated that he led LASK from the Austrian second division to European qualifiers, while at Wolfsburg he secured qualification for the Champions League through the Bundesliga. Such examples show a pattern: Glasner has been most successful where he was able to establish a clear working model, develop players and turn club ambition into a concrete competitive structure. Nottingham Forest now offers him a similar challenge, but in the much more visible and financially stronger environment of the Premier League. The difference is that every move in England will be analysed more quickly, and every run of results will more strongly influence the perception of the project.
Pereira’s departure opens the question of continuity
Vítor Pereira’s departure is one of the key elements of this story because it shows how determined Forest’s board is in its search for a coach who fits a longer-term vision. According to Sports Mole, Pereira led the club for a period of 20 matches, while the owner had the option of activating a termination clause in the contract the Portuguese coach had signed earlier in the year. Sky Sports points out that the parting was surprising given the achieved Premier League survival and European result, which further emphasises that the board was not looking only at short-term outcomes. In professional football, such decisions usually mean that a club assesses that the current direction is not fully aligned with the team development plan, even when the results are not catastrophic. But frequent changes simultaneously create the danger that every new coach starts from scratch instead of building on previous work.
For Glasner, the initial task is therefore twofold. He must show that he brings new value, but also avoid the impression of another short cycle without a clear continuation. The team will need to quickly understand his requirements in the defensive phase, the height of the press, the ways of playing out from the back line and the positioning in moments of losing the ball. At the same time, the club must support the coach in the transfer window while making sure not to disturb the balance of the dressing room. Forest’s ambition can be a powerful driver, but only if it is accompanied by consistent sporting policy. Without that, not even a coach with European trophies can single-handedly turn the club into a stable candidate for the upper part of the Premier League.
First tasks in preparations and the new Premier League season
Glasner takes over the team at a moment when the focus has already turned towards preparations for the 2026/27 season. According to Sports Mole, Forest plays its first pre-season match on 18 July against city rival Notts County, after which a training camp in Portugal follows. Such a schedule gives the new coach a limited but valuable period to assess the squad, speak with players and define the basic tactical principles. Preparations will also be important for decisions on the roles of players who fluctuated in the previous season or were returning from injuries, as well as for assessing how much the team can carry Glasner’s intensity. In the first weeks, it will not only be physical condition that matters, but also the speed with which players accept the structure of play.
The Premier League has announced that Nottingham Forest opens the new league season on 22 August 2026 with a home match against Leeds United. Already in the second round there is an away trip to Liverpool, then a home meeting with Tottenham and an away match at Aston Villa, meaning Glasner will very early get a series of strong tests. The schedule further increases the importance of a quick settling-in period because a poor start to the season can create pressure before the new system has fully developed. On the other hand, a good start against demanding opponents could give credibility to the project and reduce the burden of frequent changes from the previous period. Forest will not be able to rely only on the symbolism of a big name on the bench; results, performance and stability will have to quickly confirm that the change made sense.
What Glasner can bring to Forest on the pitch
Glasner’s teams are often recognisable for their compact structure, aggressive pressing triggers and clear use of space after winning the ball. At Crystal Palace, according to club data, he managed to combine a solid defence with effective attacking patterns, while the Premier League’s analysis of the FA Cup final particularly highlighted Palace’s ability to withstand Manchester City’s possession and punish space in transition. For Forest, such an approach could be logical because the club has a tradition of an intense atmosphere at the City Ground and a team that can benefit from direct but organised football. The question is how the Austrian will adapt the system to the existing squad and whether he will seek new reinforcements for specific roles in defence, midfield and attack. The biggest challenge will be to achieve a balance between the ambitious football the owner wants and the pragmatic effectiveness needed to collect points in the Premier League.
The success of his mandate will not depend only on the tactical scheme, but also on managing expectations. Forest’s history, including two European champion titles, creates strong symbolic capital, but modern competition requires financial, squad and organisational precision week after week. Glasner arrives with proof that he can win trophies with clubs that are not initial favourites, which is a strong reason for optimism among supporters. Still, his first task will be less spectacular: stabilise results, reduce fluctuations and make the team recognisable. If he succeeds in that, Forest under his leadership could build the foundations for a longer-term attempt to return among the more important English and European clubs, but that process will require more than one announcement and more than the reputation the new coach brings from London.
Ambition must now become a system
Oliver Glasner’s arrival is therefore one of the most interesting coaching moves ahead of the new Premier League season. Forest has gained a specialist who showed at Crystal Palace and Eintracht Frankfurt that he knows how to turn good organisation into a winning project, but at the same time it has gained a coach who will immediately work under pressure at a club accustomed to quick decisions. According to the available information, the board wants his mandate to mark a transition from short-term reactions into a more stable model, and Glasner will have to prove that this model can live in the most demanding league environment. The first indicators will be visible already in preparations, while the first serious judgement will come in the opening matches against Leeds, Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa. A new chapter has begun at the City Ground, but its value will not be measured by the appointment itself, but by whether Forest finally gains the continuity that ambition requires.
Sources:
- Associated Press – report on Oliver Glasner’s appointment, Forest’s managerial changes and Marinakis’s message (link)
- Sky Sports – confirmation of the appointment, context of Vítor Pereira’s departure and overview of Glasner’s arrival at the City Ground (link)
- Sports Mole – details of the club’s reasoning for the appointment, Pereira’s mandate and Forest’s pre-season schedule (link)
- Crystal Palace FC – statistical retrospective of Glasner’s mandate and trophy-winning period at the club (link)
- Crystal Palace FC – biographical profile at the time of his 2024 appointment with information on Eintracht Frankfurt, Wolfsburg and LASK (link)
- Premier League – analysis of the 2025 FA Cup final and Palace’s victory over Manchester City (link)
- Premier League – schedule of all Premier League matches for the 2026/27 season (link)
- Nottingham Forest FC – official announcement on the club’s return to European competition in the 2025/26 season (link)