The ink is dry

It’s official! Glasner takes over at Premier League club

Oliver Glasner has a new employer.(Bild: AP/AP Photo/Dave Shopland)

It’s official! Oliver Glasner has signed on as head coach of Nottingham Forest. The historic English club announced the news on Monday. The 51-year-old will thus remain in the Premier League; he had only parted ways with Crystal Palace a few weeks ago.

Oliver Glasner is the new head coach of the English soccer club Nottingham Forest. As the Premier League club announced on Monday, the Upper Austrian will succeed Vitor Pereira. According to reports, Glasner—who most recently worked for league rival Crystal Palace—has signed a contract in Nottingham that runs through 2029. “Nottingham Forest is a club with incredible prestige and a great history,” the 51-year-old said in a statement.

“Our goal is to build a team that can take the club to the next level in the coming years and that our fans can be proud of,” Glasner said. He is Forest’s fifth head coach in a year. “My immediate focus is on getting to know the players and the staff,” explained the former Ried and LASK pro. Nottingham finished the past season in 16th place in the Premier League, while the “Reds” reached the semifinals of the Europa League under Pereira.

Glasner left Crystal Palace having won the Conference League title.(Bild: AFP/TOBIAS SCHWARZ)

“A winner”
The club’s owner is Greek shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis. “Oliver is a winner. He has built his success through his leadership qualities, his personality, and the playing style of his teams. We believe he is the right person,” the billionaire—who is considered headstrong and quick-tempered—is quoted as saying. “We share the same vision, the same ambition, and the same tireless drive for success,” Marinakis said. Glasner has “repeatedly proven that he can build outstanding teams and achieve success against the strongest competition.”

  After coaching stints at LASK and VfL Wolfsburg, Glasner joined Eintracht Frankfurt. There, he won the Europa League in 2022. In February 2024, the next step in his career was a move to England to coach Crystal Palace. This past May, Glasner bid farewell to the club with a Conference League triumph, having won the FA Cup and the FA Community Shield with the “Eagles” a year earlier.

Trust and the Roster as Decisive Factors
Following his departure, Glasner had been linked with AC Milan. Now, the Austrian will remain in the Premier League. Discussions with the owner and Forest’s management showed “that they have a clear vision for this soccer club and have full confidence in me and my staff to build a strong future together over the long term,” Glasner said. That, along with the squad’s potential, were the decisive factors for him. However, English national team player Elliot Anderson is no longer with the club; he transferred to Manchester City a few days ago for 135 million euros.

Evangelos Marinakis(Bild: EPA/TIM KEETON)

At his new club, Glasner is now expected to deliver just as he has at his other coaching posts. “It has always been our goal to restore Nottingham Forest to its place among the leading clubs in England and Europe. Our ambition isn’t simply to compete. Our ambition is to win and to contend for major titles,” Marinakis stated, setting the course. However, the club’s heyday was long ago, specifically in the late 1970s: its only league title came 48 years ago, and Forest won the European Cup in 1979 and 1980. Its last notable success was the League Cup victory in 1990.

“Our goal is to build a team that can take the club to the next level in the coming years—a team our fans can be proud of.”

Oliver Glasner

Bild: AFP/RONALD WITTEK

According to English media reports, Glasner is being handsomely compensated to achieve this. He is said to have become one of the league’s top earners with a reported annual salary of 15 million euros. Their first test comes on August 22 against Leeds United, who will visit the City Ground for the Premier League opener.