New Nottingham Forest manager, Oliver Glasner, has pledged to bring stability and long-term success to the Premier League club after signing a three-year contract, insisting he never accepts a job with the expectation of being sacked.
The Austrian coach, who succeeds Nuno Espirito Santo, was officially unveiled at the City Ground on Thursday, becoming Forest’s fourth permanent managerial appointment since September.
Glasner arrives with an impressive record after guiding Crystal Palace to the FA Cup and UEFA Europa Conference League titles before leaving the club at the end of last season. Forest owner, Evangelos Marinakis, has tasked him with restoring stability while challenging for major honours.
Speaking at his first news conference, the Nottingham Forest manager acknowledged modern football’s high managerial turnover but said long-term planning remains essential for success.
“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,” Glasner said.
“When we had the talks, that’s why we were also committed to a three-year contract. We said, ‘OK, we want to get stability and consistency’ because that’s what the owner and I are convinced of. That’s the foundation of success.
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“We hope now that this is the starting point.”
Not concerned by managerial changes
Forest have experienced significant instability in the dugout over the past year.
Nuno Espirito Santo departed after a breakdown in his relationship with the club hierarchy. Ange Postecoglou lasted just 39 days before being dismissed following defeat to Chelsea, while Sean Dyche spent 114 days in charge. Vitor Pereira also left after a brief spell.
Despite that history, the Nottingham Forest manager said he does not approach the role fearing dismissal.
“I never sign and think about getting sacked. I just think: ‘OK, what do we have to do to bring success to the club?,” he said.
The 51-year-old also noted that managerial changes have become increasingly common across European football, citing Cyprus, where all 14 top-flight clubs changed managers last season.
Figures published by the League Managers Association also showed that the average tenure of a dismissed Premier League manager has fallen to less than one year, compared with more than three years during the 2021-22 season.
Tactical flexibility
Glasner said it was too early to decide whether Forest would play with a back three or a back four, stressing that he would build his system around the strengths of the squad.
His Crystal Palace side regularly operated with three central defenders, but he insisted Forest would not simply copy that approach.
“We are not here to be Palace 2. 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,” he said.
Forest’s current squad includes defenders Ola Aina, Neco Williams, Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and Morato, giving Glasner several tactical options.
During his spell at Palace, Glasner’s team became known for quick attacking transitions and direct football. Statistics from last season showed Palace attacked faster than any other Premier League side, while also creating significantly more clear-cut scoring opportunities.
Transfer plans
Glasner confirmed Forest intend to strengthen the squad but indicated there will not be another major spending spree similar to last summer’s recruitment drive.
The club are expected to prioritise a midfielder following Elliot Anderson’s move to Manchester City, with Tottenham youngster Lucas Bergvall reportedly among their targets.
Forest are also looking to sign another goalkeeper to support Matz Sels and John Victor after the departures of Stefan Ortega and Angus Gunn.
A striker is also on the club’s shortlist to provide competition for veteran forward Chris Wood and Brazilian attacker Igor Jesus.
Glasner expects transfer activity to increase after the FIFA World Cup, with several targets currently on holiday following international duty.
“I have one strength and weakness, it’s impatience. 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,” he said.
Forest begin preparations for the new season with a pre-season friendly against Notts County before travelling to Portugal for a training camp.
