When Evangelos Marinakis set his sights on Oliver Glasner nearly three years ago, the Nottingham Forest owner had to settle for Nuno Espirito Santo instead. Jorge Mendes won that round of hiring back in December 2023, while Glasner eventually landed at Crystal Palace. But in the volatile ecosystem of the City Ground, patience is an active currency. Following a chaotic 2025-26 campaign that burned through Nuno, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche, and Vitor Pereira, Marinakis finally secured his man, handing the 51-year-old Austrian a three-year deal that places him among the highest-paid managers in the Premier League.
Glasner arrives carrying the rare pedigree demanded by the Forest hierarchy. During his spell at Selhurst Park, he delivered the first three trophies in the club's 120-year history, culminating in an FA Cup and Europa Conference League double. Yet the appointment carries an inherent friction. Forest and Palace have shared an intense rivalry since UEFA multi-club ownership rules demoted Palace to the Conference League while pushing Forest into the Europa League. When Glasner returns to Selhurst Park on October 10, the reception is guaranteed to be hostile.
The Dinner in Athens and the Search for Stability
Before putting pen to paper, Glasner traveled to Athens to meet Marinakis, diving deep into the club's history under Brian Clough and dissecting the current squad's potential. Addressing the inevitable questions about the club's managerial carousel, Glasner offered a pragmatic view.
Nobody wants to get divorced. I don't know how it's in England but in Austria it's 50%. So when you ask them at the wedding, they would say 'yeah, not us' but it happens,
Glasner joked during his first press conference at the City Ground, where he sported a slight sunburn from a Tuesday training session.
Backing him is global technical director George Syrianos, a long-time Marinakis adviser who has tracked Glasner's career since his Wolfsburg days in 2019. Syrianos and Glasner maintained contact throughout their respective tenures, even discussing potential cross-club transfers. That relationship will be tested immediately as Forest navigate a busy summer window following the departure of Elliot Anderson, who was sold to Manchester City for an English record £116million.
Tactical Redesign: Speed, Space, and the Non-Negotiables
While Glasner built his reputation at Palace and Eintracht Frankfurt utilizing a rigid 3-4-2-1 formation, he has insisted he is not dogmatically wedded to a back three at the City Ground. Instead, his focus rests on habits, spatial understanding, and intensity.
Statistical indicators underline the tactical gap Glasner must bridge:
- Attacking Speed: Under Glasner, Palace recorded the fastest direct attacks in the Premier League last season at 2.00 m/s, whereas Forest averaged 1.80 m/s, ranking 13th.
- Passing Tendency: Forest played the highest ratio of backwards passes in the division last term (17.1%), while Palace registered the lowest (14%).
- Chance Creation: Palace manufactured 98 big chances to Forest's 69, though Forest converted at a slightly higher rate (43.5% to 32.7%).
Glasner expects to add reinforcements ahead of the club's pre-season training camp in Portugal. Free agent Xaver Schlager is set to arrive from RB Leipzig, while pursuit continues for Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall. The squad already features profiles that suit a high-tempo transition game, with Neco Williams and Ola Aina primed for wing-back roles, and Morgan Gibbs-White earmarked as the creative fulcrum.
Evidence-Led Forecast
Likely Tactical Pattern: Forest will immediately attempt to shorten possessions and accelerate vertical ball movement, reducing the lateral circulation that plagued their build-up under previous management. Expect intense defensive pressing and structured defensive discipline.
Decisive Matchup: The central midfield balance. Without Anderson, integrating new arrivals alongside Nicolas Dominguez quickly will determine whether Forest can protect a backline featuring Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic.
Strongest Counter-Case: Marinakis’s extreme tolerance for managerial instability combined with Glasner’s known impatience regarding transfer control could ignite friction if early results dip at the City Ground.
What Would Change the Read: Rapid acquisition of target midfielders before the Portugal camp and a clean tactical transition away from sideways passing will signal sustainable harmony between the dugout and the boardroom.
Sources
These sources formed the evidence pack for this article. Links open the original publisher; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
- dailymail.com original
- bbc.co.uk original
- nytimes.com original
