Nottingham Forest Appoints Oliver Glasner as New Head Coach
Nottingham Forest have turned to serial European winner Oliver Glasner as their new head coach, handing the Austrian the task of dragging one of England’s grand old clubs back towards the elite.
The appointment is bold. The backdrop is explosive.
Vitor Pereira was dismissed only last week, jettisoned despite keeping Forest in the Premier League and steering them to a Europa League semi-final, where they fell to eventual winners Aston Villa. Survival and a deep European run usually buy time. At the City Ground, they bought change.
A serial winner walks in
Glasner arrives with a CV built for owners who talk about “projects” and “next levels” but expect trophies as proof. He has delivered them.
At Crystal Palace, he turned a club long seen as plucky survivors into silverware collectors. An FA Cup triumph was followed by a Europa Conference League title, capped by a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano in May. Two major trophies in two seasons, and a place in next season’s Europa League secured on merit.
Before that, he led Eintracht Frankfurt to the 2021-22 Europa League, ending the club’s four-decade wait for a major European crown. In Germany and in south London, his sides carried a clear identity: aggressive without the ball, brave with it, and utterly convinced they belonged on big European nights.
Now that conviction is Forest’s to harness.
“I’m delighted to join Nottingham Forest as head coach,” Glasner said. From his first conversations with owner Evangelos Marinakis and the hierarchy, he spoke of a “clear vision” and “complete trust and belief” in him and his staff to build a long-term future. The word “potential” surfaced quickly. So did “prestige”.
He knows where he is walking into. “Nottingham Forest is a club with incredible prestige and history, a two-time European Champion with one of the most passionate fan bases in football,” he said. His aim, he stressed, is to shape a team that can lift the club “to the next level” and one the supporters “can be proud of”.
For now, the talk is practical. Pre-season is about to start. Glasner’s “immediate focus” is on meeting players and staff, then getting to work. The promise is of tireless effort and of representing Forest “with pride” while hunting success on the pitch.
Marinakis raises the bar
Marinakis did not hide behind cautious language. He rarely does.
“In our discussions with Oliver, it was clear that we share the same vision, the same ambition and the same relentless desire to succeed,” the owner said. He pointed to Glasner’s track record of “building outstanding teams” and delivering success “against the strongest competition”.
This is not about consolidation. “It has always been our goal to establish Nottingham Forest once again among the leading clubs in England and Europe,” Marinakis stated. Competing is not enough. “Our ambition is not simply to compete – our ambition is to win, to challenge for major honours.”
Then came the line that tells you why this appointment happened. “Oliver is a winner.” For Marinakis, it is as much about personality and style as it is about silverware. The belief inside the club is that Glasner is the man to lead “this next chapter”.
The message to the dressing room is unmistakable: staying up is the floor, not the ceiling.
A quiet snub with loud echoes
If Glasner’s track record makes football sense, the move carries a sharp political edge.
Forest and Crystal Palace spent last season tangled in a bitter off-field battle for European football. Both chased a Europa League berth, but UEFA eventually ruled that Forest, not Palace, would enter the competition. The reason had nothing to do with points or goals. Palace were excluded because former co-owner John Textor also controlled Lyon, breaching ownership rules.
The ruling stung in south London. Palace fans responded with a graphic banner aimed at Marinakis during a 1-1 draw with Forest at Selhurst Park on August 24, a protest that led to an FA misconduct charge for the club.
Glasner, demoted with Palace to the Conference League by that decision, did not sulk. He went and won the thing, guiding his team to that 1-0 final victory over Rayo Vallecano and securing Europa League football on the pitch. Palace will be in Europe’s second-tier competition next season. Forest will not.
That context made Forest’s announcement of their new head coach even more pointed. In their statement, they referenced Glasner’s achievements at Selhurst Park but did not mention Crystal Palace by name. Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt were explicitly cited. Palace were effectively airbrushed out.
Given the recent friction between the clubs, that omission felt deliberate. A small detail, but in modern football, small details often carry the loudest messages.
A giant name, a demanding brief
For Glasner, the appeal is obvious. He takes over a club with a global name, a European pedigree few can match, and an owner openly talking about returning to the top bracket in England and beyond.
He also steps into a volatile environment. Pereira’s departure, despite a season that would have been celebrated at many clubs of Forest’s size, underlines the thin margin for error. The City Ground crowd will give Glasner noise and backing. The board will give him ambition and expectation in equal measure.
Forest wanted a proven winner with a modern blueprint. They now have one.
The question is simple: can Oliver Glasner turn history, tension and lofty ambition into the kind of future Nottingham Forest believe is their rightful stage?
