Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner has insisted they can be like Aston Villa and target the Champions League under his reign.
Glasner arrived at the club this summer as a surprise appointment after leaving Crystal Palace at the end of the season.
He’s since admitted that he was talked into the move by Marinakis, who presented an attractive offer in a one-on-one meeting to convince the Austrian coach.
Nottingham Forest had been expected to undergo a dramatic summer overhaul to better balance the squad for Glasner this season.
And while there was €138m of purchases on the likes of Liam Delap, Ousmane Diomande, Daniel Munox and Gustavo Sa, that was balanced by €138.2m of sales. It meant they ended the window €26.5m in profit and keeping star men like Morgan Gibbs-White for another summer.
Glasner holding back
The latter alone has led to confidence that the club can start to look up the table following a 16th placed finish last season.
They have finished 16th, 17th, 7th, and 16th in their four seasons back in the top flight so far, but the hope is that the arrival of Glasner can lead to the type of resurgence that Crystal Palace enjoyed.
The Austrian, though, is looking even higher than that.
“Expanding the stadium is a first step toward creating the necessary conditions,” Glasner explained, before posing the question:
“But why shouldn’t it be possible to become like Aston Villa? In other words, getting a taste of the Champions League, even if you might miss out on it again later.”
Positives so far
If that is to happen, Nottingham Forest will need to turn around their early season form under their new manager.
They may have only won one game in five in the league, although that was over the aforementioned Aston Villa. Glasner isn’t concerned though. He thinks there is plenty to like about how his side are developing.
“On the positive side, we’re conceding very few dangerous chances,” he added. He then insisted that it’s a case of “step by step” for now”.
“But we need to improve our attacking play, especially at home. We’ve only had one home league win in 2026 so far.”
| Category | Record or achievement |
|---|---|
| Time at Crystal Palace | Appointed in February 2024; departed at the end of the 2025/26 season. |
| Matches managed | 121 across all competitive competitions |
| Wins | 51 |
| Draws | 36 |
| Defeats | 34 |
| Win percentage | 42.1% |
| 2023/24 Premier League finish | 10th, with six wins from the final seven league matches. |
| 2024/25 Premier League points record | Finished 12th with 53 points, setting a club Premier League record at the time. |
| FA Cup – 2024/25 | Winners: beat Manchester City 1–0 at Wembley on 17 May 2025, securing Palace’s first major trophy. |
| FA Community Shield – 2025 | Winners: beat Liverpool 3–2 on penalties after a 2–2 draw at Wembley on 10 August 2025. |
| UEFA Conference League – 2025/26 | Winners: beat Rayo Vallecano 1–0 on 27 May 2026, securing Palace’s first European trophy in Glasner’s final match. |
| Total trophies won | 3 – FA Cup, FA Community Shield and UEFA Conference League |
Overall managerial record covers competitive matches only.
Sources: published managerial statistics, Crystal Palace FC and Premier League.
Checked on 7 October 2026.
