Know-how and solidity - Schlager joins as Glasner makes his markpublished at 07:22 BST
07:22 BST
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Xaver Schlager is not part of a Nottingham Forest rebuild - the Reds certainly do not need that - but it is immediately apparent Oliver Glasner is making his mark on the squad.
Schlager played for Glasner at Wolfsburg and the Austrian taking charge at the City Ground and his influence have clearly helped in the move for the midfielder.
Forest always wanted two midfielders to help replace Elliot Anderson and Schlager offers good experience with no transfer fee.
With over half a century of caps for Austria, Schlager will deliver know-how and help solidify Forest's midfield after Anderson's exit. Anderson's influence at Forest was key and it would be unfair to expect the same impact from the 28-year-old, at least straight away.
Glasner was confident Forest would have signings join them on camp in Portugal this week and Tottenham's Lucas Bergvall remains the top midfield target.
Forest are still chasing the Sweden international and he would be viewed as the main replacement for Anderson, should he eventually move to the City Ground.
It is about quality this summer and Forest have already set their stall out by moving for Glasner to replace Vitor Pereira earlier this month.
Midfielder Schlager becomes Glasner's first Forest signingpublished at 14:50 BST 23 July
14:50 BST 23 July
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Austria international Xaver Schlager has become Oliver Glasner's first signing at Nottingham Forest.
The midfielder moves to the City Ground on a free transfer and has signed a two-year deal after leaving RB Leipzig.
He has spent the past four seasons at Leipzig, where he was vice captain, and has previously played for Red Bull Salzburg, Wolfsburg - where he worked with Glasner - and Austrian side Liefering.
Schlager said: "It is a huge honour to join Nottingham Forest. It is a very traditional club with a big history, winning two European Cups under Brian Clough.
"I wanted a new challenge and to join a club with good players, and I am happy to be reunited with Oliver, who I know from my time at Wolfsburg.
"The club has big ambitions and so do I. I want to be back in European competitions and we have a good chance. It is the best feeling to play internationally during the week, and I want to achieve that."
Schlager started all four games for Austria at the World Cup and has 55 caps for his country. He won the Austrian Bundesliga with Salzburg four times.
Chief football officer George Syrianos added: "He's a leader, with years of experience playing at the highest level in Europe, and there is a strong feeling he has all the attributes to make an immediate impact on the team."
Forest beat Blackburn in second pre-season winpublished at 14:04 BST 22 July
14:04 BST 22 July
Image source, Getty Images
Nottingham Forest won their second successive pre-season fixture as they eased to a 3-0 victory over Championship side Blackburn Rovers in Portugal.
Igor Jesus put Forest ahead before the half-time interval, firing into the roof of the net.
Arnaud Kalimuendo took just three minutes to increase Forest's lead after the break and Taiwo Awoniyi made sure of the victory, slotting into the bottom corner.
Oliver Glasner's side will complete more fixtures as part of the pre-season training camp in the Algarve. They are due to play a behind-closed-doors game against Vitoria S.C. before the Reds take on Portuguese giants Sporting CP on Friday 31 July.
After the match, Glasner spoke to Forest TV, external and said: "It was a very good test again. Credit to the players for their work rate, and we scored some nice goals. It's just pre-season, but winning 3-0 against a Championship side is always positive.
"We could see plenty of positive aspects in the game and also what we will work on in the next couple of days and weeks.
"Every win and clean sheet helps us in getting more and more confidence.
"We have plenty of attacking players on the pitch and we want them to arrive in dangerous areas. We created many chances and scored three nice goals, we're encouraging our strikers to show up in these areas and today it worked."
The 23-year-old made 92 appearances across two seasons at Forest after joining from boyhood club Newcastle in 2024, helping them qualify for Europe in 2024-25 and reach the Europa League semi-finals the following year.
The goodbye message posted by Anderson on social media read: "Forest family,
"Firstly I am so grateful for the love and support you have shown me over the last 2 years especially towards the end of this season. From the minute I walked through the door I fell in love with this club.
"I want to thank Mr Marinakas, the staff and all players for welcoming me and making my time here so enjoyable, this club gave me the opportunity to grow as a player and a person.
"Bringing the club European football again after 29 years is what all of you fans deserved and to be a helping hand in that is so special.
"Nottingham forest will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you for all the unforgettable memories."
Check your World Cup Predictor results - and start playing our new gamepublished at 08:26 BST 22 July
08:26 BST 22 July
Now the dust has settled on the 2026 World Cup, you can officially review your Predictor results for the tournament.
If you played more than four rounds, BBC Sport has done a deep dive into your predictions, tournament performance and compared you to other players.
Don't worry, though, Predictor isn't stopping at international tournaments! Pre-season has kicked off and there are plenty of friendlies and European qualifiers to keep us occupied before the new season gets under way.
So how do you fancy your chances of correctly predicting the scores for our six selected matches every week?
BBC Sport has launched a new weekly Predictor game to cover the 2026-27 season, allowing users to pick what they think will be the result from six fixtures from across the leagues.
There will usually be a Friday deadline and the game will also feature streaks, so make sure to build it into your weekly football habits.
If you're wondering how to play, here are a few easy steps:
Click on the link above to take you to the selections page.
For every match, you either choose a winning team or select a draw - once your prediction has been submitted you won't be able to change it, so be sure to pick carefully.
Then wait for the results to roll in to see how you have done.
Share your results with your friends and family.
Every consecutive round you play adds one to your streak, but if you miss a round then your streak will reset to zero.
Are transfer fees actually bigger now?published at 08:04 BST 22 July
08:04 BST 22 July
Mohamed Moallim BBC Sport Journalist
Image source, Getty Images
The Premier League's financial landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. Since 2016 total summer transfer spending has risen from £1.16bn to a record £3.19bn in 2025 – an increase of almost 175%.
On the surface, that suggests transfer figures are continuing to accelerate. Headline fees, though, tell only part of the story.
Research by Kieran Maguire and colleagues at the University of Liverpool suggests some of the Premier League's earlier record signings represented even greater investments when measured against clubs' buying power at the time.
Using Premier League broadcasting revenues as an index, Alan Shearer's £15m move from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United in 1996 remains the league's biggest transfer relative to clubs' spending power. Rio Ferdinand's £29.1m move to Manchester United in 2002 and Juan Sebastian Veron's £28.1m arrival at Old Trafford in 2001 also rank above any of this summer's blockbuster deals.
The same model suggests Trevor Francis' £1m move from Birmingham City to Forest in 1979 – English football's first £1m transfer – would equate to about £173m in today's market.
That does not mean the fees paid for Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali were modest. Rather, it reflects how dramatically Premier League revenues have grown, allowing clubs to spend sums that would once have been unimaginable.
When Jack Grealish became Britain's first £100m footballer when joining City from Villa in 2021, the transfer marked another turning point in the evolution of the market.
Only five years later, nine-figure deals are no longer viewed as extraordinary. They have become a familiar feature of Premier League transfer windows.
The next milestone may not be far away.
While no Premier League club has yet paid £200m for a player, football's financial ceiling continues to rise and the first transfer of that magnitude no longer feels beyond the realms of possibility.
Morato out, Bergvall in? Your Nottingham Forest squad tweakspublished at 18:33 BST 21 July
18:33 BST 21 July
Image source, Getty Images
We asked you to pick one player you would like to move on this summer and one realistic target you want Nottingham Forest to bring in before the transfer window shuts.
Here are some of your suggestions:
Matt: In: Lucas Bergvall - we need a midfielder with Premier League experience to replace Anderson. Out: Morato - always has a mistake in him and if we are to compete at the higher end of the table, we need to remove mistakes from our game.
Kris: One out - Morato. He's often found wanting and prone to costly errors. One in - Diomande from Sporting would be a more than adequate replacement, and he's a player Glasner has shown interest in previously.
Carl: Morato has to go. No skill and lack of flair. Let's bring Danilo back from Brazil instead.
Ken: Bit left-field but, if he would lower his wage demands, what about Rashford? We would get him for £30m, he can play anywhere across the front and wing positions. Bags of Premier League experience, a proven goalscorer and actually would benefit from regular first-team football.
Andrew: I'd like to see Morato moved on and would love to see Elanga back in the Garibaldi.
Mark: We should move on Morato, who has been a real liability at the back. If I had my choice, I would seek to bring in either Alex Scott or James Garner to replace Anderson.
Scott: McAtee has GOT to go. In Saturday's game at Meadow Lane, he looked his usual indolent self and, even if he performs consistently brilliantly in training, he never seems to carry that into a competitive game. With Ortega gone - sadly - and Victor looking shaky at best, we desperately need cover for Sels. Gregor Kobel...?
Mossy: It might be time to finally let Omar Richards leave - not the best start at Forest with injury and seemed not part of any coach's plans. We desperately need a striker, one with a point to prove, and I'd go for Delap. Not without risk but, if successful, a good resale price.
Why are Premier League transfer fees soaring?published at 07:45 BST 21 July
07:45 BST 21 July
Image source, Getty Images
Thirty-four years ago a £13m transfer caused national outrage in Italy.
When AC Milan signed Gianluigi Lentini from Torino in 1992 for a then world record fee, newspapers called the deal "obscene", while the Vatican's official newspaper described it as "an offence against the dignity of work".
Today that fee would barely register among the Premier League's biggest transfers.
These are not the only major deals. Tottenham also agreed an £85m move for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, Barcelona paid £69m to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United, and Manchester United spent £50m on Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos.
It is the first transfer window in Premier League history to produce three £100m-plus signings - and there are still weeks to go before deadline day on 1 September.
During the 2025 summer window English top-flight clubs spent a record £3bn.
So why are transfer fees continuing to climb? Why are clubs paying record sums for players already playing in England? And why are more clubs willing to sell some of their biggest stars?
Speaking to Forest TV after the victory, external, Glasner said: "It was a very good first test. It was a great atmosphere here against Notts County in front of 15,000 fans and 6,000 Forest fans. It's a fantastic opener for us after four days in training and I'm really pleased with the performance.
"We scored some lovely goals and we defended very well as a team. Some things did not work how we want them to in the future, but after only four days there were lots of positive aspects. I'm really pleased with what the players offered.
"All the details were perfect [for the first goal], Morgan [Gibbs-White's] pass, Igor's movement, Omari [Hutchinson] is in the pocket and tracks the opposition defender out.
"It was a fantastic goal, as was the second one. It's a fantastic cross and we had great runs into the box. It has been one of the topics this week, getting more players into dangerous areas, and I could see it in some parts.
"We've had a good start so now we will continue to work in training."
What will Glasner's Forest look like?published at 15:41 BST 17 July
15:41 BST 17 July
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
When Oliver Glasner took over at Selhurst Park in February 2024, Crystal Palace were 15th, having lost 10 of their previous 17 games under Roy Hodgson.
He utilised a back three, something he used with success at Frankfurt, but it is not something Glasner has immediately promised at Nottingham Forest.
"We are not here to be Palace 2," he said. "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."
It feels, though, Glasner has the right players, with Ola Aina and Neco Williams a perfect fit for wing-backs, leaving Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and Morato as the senior central defensive options. Zach Abbott is highly thought of but lacks top-flight experience.
In attack at Palace, Glasner inherited a forward line of Jean-Philippe Mateta, Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise. This time he has Chris Wood, Igor Jesus, Omari Hutchinson, Dan Nodye and Dilane Bakwa.
Add to that Morgan Gibbs-White and James McAtee, and he has the players to suit his style. Expect Glasner's Forest to get up the pitch quicker.
His Palace side attacked the fastest (2.00 m/s) of any side in the Premier League last season, with Forest 13th in that table (1.80).
Although Forest scored more goals and had more shots than Glasner's Palace, they can still improve under him.
Both sides struggled to take chances as Forest created poor ones - only Burnley and Tottenham created worse on average. Palace created good chances under Glasner but could not take them, ending the season with -17 xG.
Under four managers, Forest played the highest ratio of backwards passes in the Premier League last season, with 17.1% of their total, while Palace had the lowest score on that front, with just 14% of their 14,920 passes.
There will be a clear change in style and the way Forest attack. They put in 628 crosses - the second highest - with Palace managing only 417, the third-lowest in the division, only above Manchester City and Burnley.
Palace did not do much passing in the final third of the pitch - more than 500 passes fewer than Forest last season - but Glasner's philosophy is not to waste time when his teams get close to goal.
The Eagles created 29 more big chances (98) than Forest (69). Forest still scored more, though, netting 32 to Palace's 30. Their conversion rate was 43.5%, better than Palace's 32.7%.
'No hydration breaks' - fans on club football's returnpublished at 11:27 BST 17 July
11:27 BST 17 July
Image source, Getty Images
With pre-season officially in full swing, we asked you to tell us what you're looking forward to about club football returning.
Here are some of your replies:
Josh: I'm looking forward to seeing what the new season brings. After the circus of last season, I feel we finally have a manager at the wheel who will steer our club in the right direction. Oliver Glasner, welcome to Nottingham Forest.
John: I'm excited for us winning the league!
Matt: What am I most looking forward to? No hydration breaks and playing football again instead of soccer.
'Eloquent' Glasner 'impressed'published at 10:04 BST 17 July
10:04 BST 17 July
Image source, Getty Images
BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray says he was "impressed" by Oliver Glasner who was "very comfortable with the press" during his unveiling as new Forest manager.
Glasner spoke to media for well over an hour on Thursday, fielding questions on subjects including his ambition, playing style, and any potential controversy surrounding his departure from Crystal Palace - given the recent rivalry between the two clubs.
"He talks very eloquently," Fray told the Shut Up and Show More Football podcast.
"He's very happy to be here. Lots of big, beaming smiles at light-hearted moments in the press conference, but lots of serious talk as well.
"Not necessarily promising the earth, but talking about wanting to build solid foundations.
"Forest fans over the last decade or so have heard a lot of first day interviews from a lot of managers. But, clearly this is a guy who has methods and they have been successful at his previous clubs. He was far from shy at mentioning these clubs.
"Wherever he has been, he has built solidly. He has non-negotiables in how to build a squad. It doesn't always guarantee you success but it gives you the best chance of possibly being successful and without them you definitely won't be successful.
"I was impressed. He is obviously very comfortable with the press given his experience in management. There's lots of things for Forest fans to take because of how considered he was in many of his answers."
'Nobody wants to get divorced' - Glasner on Forest challengepublished at 09:05 BST 17 July
09:05 BST 17 July
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Oliver Glasner was Nottingham Forest's fourth managerial unveiling since September. The new man, who has signed a three-year deal, has been brought to the club to deliver for silverware and stability.
After guiding Crystal Palace to the FA Cup and Europa Conference League in the past two seasons before standing down in May, he arrives with the winning pedigree owner Evangelos Marinakis demands.
But after the carousel of managers at Nottingham Forest in the last 12 months, is taking the job a risk?
Behind the same desk, Nuno Espirito Santo started the merry-go-round when revealing his breakdown in relationship with the club's hierarchy last August.
Ange Postecoglou did not even get a chance to host a final post-match press conference before he was sacked after 39 days following a wretched defeat by Chelsea.
Sean Dyche lasted 114 days. Replacement Vitor Pereira was told he was being dismissed just two minutes before a clause which allowed Forest to terminate his deal expired in June.
So why is it not a gamble for the new man?
"Nobody wants to get divorced. I don't know how it's in England but in Austria it's 50% [the divorce rate]," said Glasner, who takes his new side across the Trent to Notts County for Saturday's opening pre-season friendly.
"So when you ask them at the wedding, they would say 'yeah, not us' but it happens.
"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 - due to different reasons, due to different expectations, different plans in your life.
"When we had the talks, that's why we were also committed on 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.
"We hope now that this is the starting point."
An end-of-season study by the League Managers Association found the average tenure of sacked managers in the Premier League was less than a year - having been more than three years as recently as 2021-22.
Across the English leagues, 43 managers were sacked, up by 2% from last season, and there were 65 managerial movements - a rise of 12% - but it is not something Glasner considers.
"In Cyprus last year they had 14 teams in the top league and all 14 changed manager. I don't really think about that part of the job," said the 51-year-old.
"I never sign and think about getting sacked. I just think: 'OK, what do we have to do to bring success to the club?'"
Bergvall wants move - but Forest still looking for additional midfielderpublished at 20:06 BST 16 July
20:06 BST 16 July
Sami Mokbel Senior football correspondent
Image source, Getty Images
BBC Sport understands Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who Nottingham Forest are set to make a £45m bid for, wants to move to the City Ground.
The 20-year-old Sweden international played limited minutes at the end of last season under Spurs boss Roberto de Zerbi, often not in his preferred number six position.
Forest are believed to be looking for another midfielder in addition to Bergvall after Elliot Anderson's record-breaking move to Manchester City.
But there will not be another 13-player £180m spree like last summer, with Forest looking to add quality over quantity.
A goalkeeper is needed to support Matz Sels and John Victor, while a striker is also wanted to aid Chris Wood, who turns 35 in December, and Igor Jesus.
When asked about the prospect of Bergvall joining the club during his first news conference as Forest boss on Thursday, Oliver Glasner did not directly refer to the midfielder but said: "I have one strength and weakness - it's impatience. Sometimes it's a strength, sometimes it's a weakness.
"Of course, I would have hoped they already trained with us on the other side.
"It's impossible because the players we're now talking to play at the World Cup so are still on vacation. I'm pretty convinced we will have a few players joining us in Portugal [on a training camp]."
Bergvall played 33 games for Tottenham last season but missed two months after having ankle surgery.
Glasner makes positive impression as he faces the mediapublished at 19:47 BST 16 July
19:47 BST 16 July
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Oliver Glasner got sunburned taking Nottingham Forest training on Tuesday.
The new manager admitted the one thing which had surprised him since arriving at the City Ground was the weather.
The two-and-a-half-hour pre-season training session did not just take its toll on the squad, with Glasner joking he has now got some factor 50 sunblock.
Glasner is the Reds' fifth manager in less than 12 months but expected to last longer than his predecessors and bring the silverware Evangelos Marinakis desires.
Open, sociable and chatty, his first Forest news conference lasted almost one hour and 10 minutes, having earlier walked on to the City Ground pitch for pictures and camera shots.
He recognised Marinakis' ambition - that the Greek owner is perhaps one of the people more ambitious than him - and waxed lyrical about the seafood they ate when talking about the Forest job in Athens.
Glasner spoke about making a meal with the ingredients he has at Forest, hoping it will be good, how he understands why Crystal Palace fans may be upset with him - given the new rivalry between the clubs - and the stability needed at Forest.
Glasner hit the right notes. He even revealed he texted his former Palace captain Marc Guehi on his birthday on Monday - only for Guehi to reply not realising Glasner had joined Forest.
Saturday's opening pre-season friendly over the Trent at Notts County gives fans their first view of the new era, albeit without Elliot Anderson after his move to Manchester City.
Standing on the side of the Meadow Lane pitch, Glasner will hope to remember his sunscreen.
A new episode of BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast has landed on BBC Sounds.
David Jackson and Colin Fray reflect on new Forest boss Oliver Glasner's first news conference since taking charge, plus hear an 11-minute interview with the Austrian.
Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.
Glasner accepts Forest move will upset Palace fans published at 17:58 BST 16 July
17:58 BST 16 July
Nick Mashiter Football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Oliver Glasner understands Crystal Palace fans will be upset by his move to Nottingham Forest.
The former Eagles boss joined Forest on a three-year deal this month after leaving Selhurst Park at the end of last season.
The two teams have struck up a rivalry since Forest took Palace's place in the Europa League last term.
Eagles fans were unhappy with Forest's involvement in their demotion from the Europa League to Conference League for breaching multi-ownership rules, with Forest expressing their concerns to Uefa.
Glasner ended up guiding Palace to the Conference League title - 12 months after winning the FA Cup - and recognises how some supporters will feel about the move.
"I always can understand what people are thinking, their own motivation, their own thoughts and that's what I completely accept," he said.
"I hope everybody accepts that I can't ask every single one: 'Do you agree with my decision?' Because then I don't know where I would end.
"That's why I have to take my own decision for my family and for myself, and it was also enough to convince my family to leave again. It was probably the hardest part of this decision.
"I always try to understand everybody. This also gives me a different view. I like some feedback and sometimes I agree, sometimes I don't agree, but yes, I can understand this.
"I had two and a half fantastic years at Palace - an amazing time, amazing connections to the players and staff, to the chairman, owners and fans. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible to win three trophies.
"I'm really pleased to have been part of it but now a new chapter begins with a new book to write at Forest."
Image source, Getty Images
