Nottingham Forest appoint Oliver Glasner as new head coach

By Rachel Steinberg, Press Association

Nottingham Forest have appointed former Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner as their new head coach.

The 51-year-old guided Palace to their first-ever major silverware, the 2025 FA Cup, following it up with triumph in the Community Shield, then in May cemented his legacy after the Eagles lifted the Conference League trophy.

Previously, the Austrian steered Eintracht Frankfurt to victory in the 2021-22 Europa League, their first major European trophy in more than four decades.

Glasner said: “I’m delighted to join Nottingham Forest as head coach.

“From my very first conversations with the owner and the leadership team, it was evident to me that they have a clear vision for this football club and complete trust and belief in me and my staff to build a strong future together over the long term.

“That trust and shared commitment, together with the potential that I see within the squad, were key factors for me and I am excited about what we can achieve together.

“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.

“Our aim is to build a team that can help take the club to the next level in the years ahead and that our supporters can be proud of.”

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Glasner succeeds Vitor Pereira, who on Wednesday said he was taken by “complete surprise and without any warning” by the news that his time at the City Ground had come to an end.

The Austrian had previously been linked to AC Milan, a role then filled by former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, and, more recently, the vacant Germany head coach role after Julian Nagelsmann stepped down following their frustrating World Cup exit.

Glasner’s appointment came as a surprise when he began to emerge as the Forest frontrunner, due to the history between his former and new employers and percieved desire to play in Europe.

Palace thought they had qualified for the Europa League after winning the FA Cup, but a multi-club ownership conflict – due to former co-owner John Textor’s involvement with Lyon – resulted in the Eagles getting demoted to UEFA’s third-tier European competition.

Nottingham Forest were the benefactors of the Eagles competition downgrade, taking the Europa League place, and were respondents in Palace’s subsequent failed legal appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Palace chairman Steve Parish seemed to have suggested that Forest played a role in that demotion.

Owner Evangelos Marinakis said: “In our discussions with Oliver, it was clear that we share the same vision, the same ambition and the same relentless desire to succeed. He has consistently demonstrated throughout his career that he can build outstanding teams and deliver success against the strongest competition.

“It has always been our goal to establish Nottingham Forest once again among the leading clubs in England and Europe. Our ambition is not simply to compete – our ambition is to win, to challenge for major honours and to create a football club that our supporters can be proud of for many years to come.”