Matty Writes Sports

For Nottingham Forest, there aren’t enough words in the dictionary to accurately describe the club’s 2025/26 campaign, a season that perfectly contrasted the highs of the previous season under Nuno Espirito Santo. Even the pre-season of 2025/26 was rocky, and eventually, the man that had dragged them to 7th in the table, was shown the exit door.

Vitor Pereira steadied the ship and brought Premier League safety, but it is now Oliver Glasner in charge, ready to take Nottingham Forest forward into a new era. A new era in which the fans can hope for no more flirting with relegation and no more 16th placed finishes.

For that to happen, Oliver Glasner needs to get his players playing his way as quickly as possible. A poor start could leave Forest struggling, and, with the ever-so unpredictable Evangelos Marinakis in charge, anything is possible in the East Midlands.

What does the future hold at The City Ground?

Last Season

For Nottingham Forest fans, last season must have felt like whiplash; going from an improbable 7th placed finish under Nuno Espirito Santo to cycling through 4 permanent managers just one season later, and finishing only 5 points clear of the bottom three. It was a season to forget for The Reds, that started badly and only really improved towards the end.

Off-season conflict between Nuno and newly appointed technical director Edu Gaspar set the scene for an ugly start to the season; the Portuguese manager was sacked only 3 games into the season, being replaced by Ange Postecoglou. The Australian didn’t have the desired effect in turning things around, and was sacked after only a month, but his successor Sean Dyche faired no better. Finally, it finally clicked with the 4th permanent manager of the season, former Wolves manager Vitor Pereira who led the club away from the bottom three and to another season in the top flight.

Whilst Forest struggled domestically, in Europe, The Tricky Trees were having a lot more fun; knockout round victories in the Europa League over Fenerbahce, Midtjylland and Porto set up a semi-final clash with fellow English side Aston Villa. Forest won the first leg in Nottingham, but were trounced in Birmingham, ending their European dreams at the final hurdle, a painful end to an otherwise memorable campaign.

The Boss

When Vitor Pereira was relieved of his duties just hours before England’s World Cup clash with the DRC, there were certainly eyebrows raised across the country. Pereira had done a solid job all things considered, and many were shocked to see he had been let go so late into the off-season.

However, when news surfaced that Oliver Glasner was to be the man replacing him, most of those raised eyebrows understood; Glasner had revolutionised Crystal Palace from mid-table mediocrity under Roy Hodgson to winning the FA Cup, the Community Shield and finally the UEFA Conference League with The Eagles. Many had expected Glasner to get a more high-profile job, but clearly, he saw something in Forest that others did not.

Glasner’s system at Palace with 3 central defenders and high-flying wing backs had been a thorn in the side of many a team since his appointment in 2024 and now, he will bring that system to The City Ground. For this system to work however, Glasner needs two extremely energetic midfield engines, able to control the tempo of the game whilst remaining solid at the back and covering for the wing backs bombing up and down on either side. These tactics inspired an immediate turnaround at former club Crystal Palace and could do the same at his new home in the East Midlands.

Confirmed Transfers

Whilst many other Premier League clubs are extremely active in the transfer window, Forest haven’t exactly been one of them so far. With 2 weeks until the season kicks off, The Reds have only made one official signing, however a club-to-club agreement has been reached for another.

The confirmed signing is the transfer of Austrian midfielder Xaver Schlager, who arrives on a free after leaving German side Red Bull Leipzig after his contract ran out. Schlager is a Glasner man through and through; he played under his new boss at Wolfsburg and now reunites with him at The City Ground.

Schlager is a perfect fit for a Glasner system; he is energectic, able to excel in high-pressing systems, robust in the tackle and is more than happy to do the dirty work. Schlager fits into Glasner’s system like a glove, and, to sign a World Cup starter is a very shrewed pickup for Forest.

The other new signing looks set to be Sporting CP’s Ivorian defender Ousmane Diomande, who will set the club back around £35m. Diomande has long been highly rated, both in Portugal where he has plied his trade since 2023 . He was rumoured with big money moves to the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United last summer, and for Forest to secure his signature, shows a huge statement of intent, adding to an already solid defence, with one of the best young talents around.

However, the biggest transfer surrounding Nottingham Forest this summer is in the form of a departure; Elliot Anderson left the club to sign for Manchester City, with Forest receiving an eye-watering £116m from the Cityzens. Since joining from Newcastle in 2024, Anderson has been the midfield engine for The Reds, and emerged as an England international and one of the top midfielders in the division. With his departure from the club, Forest have work to do if they are to improve next season.

Squad in Focus

For Forest, there are some question marks over the current squad, and how many of them will fit under a Glasner system, and how they can cope without Elliot Anderson. These are questions which remain unanswered, but, the squad looks in solid shape as it stands.

In goal, Mats Sels will retain his number 1 jersey after Stefan Ortega left to join Marinakis’ other club, Olympiacos. Sels was the golden glove winner in 2024/25, sharing the award with David Raya, and, whilst he isn’t the best with his feet, his shot-stopping regularly won points for Forest by itself in that campaign.

At the back, Forest have a very solid core of defenders; Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic both shined when playing in Nuno’s back 5 system, and should do so once again, and with Ousmane Diomande joining, Forest immediately have one of the most solid central defensive units outside the top 6, and they have strength in depth too; Jair Cunha looked solid when called upon, Nicolo Savona is more comfortable in a back three and youngster Zach Abott has shown potential too, and all may play crucial roles for Forest this season.

Out wide, both Neco Williams and Ola Aina may shine in a back three; Williams is an energetic full back and may be utilised similarly to how Daniel Munoz was during Glasner’s time at Palace, whereas Ola Aina may be more of a Tyrick Mitchell, playing sightly deeper and releasing crosses into the box from deep. Glasner needs his wing backs to retain their energy al game long and provide the majority of the width in their games, meaning a lot of pressure will be put on both Aina and Williams for Forest to succeed.

In midfield, new signing Xaver Schlager looks set to come straight into the starting eleve; Schlager is energetic and knows Glasner’s system already from his time at Wolfsburg, making him an ideal fit in the middle of the park. Alongside him will most likely be Ibrahim Sangare; The Ivorian is a box to box midfielder, chock full of energy and a physical monster. Sangare is capable of playing as a six and as a number eight, and, after signing a new deal in the last couple of weeks, Glasner clearly sees him as a big part of the project. Elsewhere, Nicolas Dominguez and the experienced Ryan Yates will likely see rotational roles, with another midfielder reportedly high on the agenda at The City Ground.

Going forward, Forest are well-stocked across the pitch; Morgan Gibbs-White is the star man, finishing off 2025/26 in sensational form and, for me, was hard done by to miss out on a World Cup spot with England. Additionally, Omari Hutchinson may shine as he plays in more of a central role, as he did at Ipswich, whilstCallum Hudson-Odoi, Dan Ndoye and Dilane Bakwa provide solid depth, even if their campaigns last season were underwhelming. The main goalscorer in the team will likely remain Chris Wood, who has been pivotal to Forest since joining from Newcastle in January 2023, but Igor Jesus and Arnaud Kalimuendo provide solid competition for the Kiwi; Jesus was prolific in the Europa League last season, whilst Kalimuendo looks to bounce back from a fairly torrid debut season at The City Ground.

Key Player: Morgan Gibbs-White

Since joining from Wolves in a £25m deal in 2022, not many players have proven more important for their team than Morgan Gibbs-White has at Nottingham Forest. When Gibbs-White plays well, Forest play well and vice-versa. He almost single-handedly inspired their late season turnaround under Pereira, and was unfortunate not to head to the US with his country. Gibbs-White is creative, relentless in the press and is becoming more and more prolific, improving his goalscoring numbers every single season, and, the best may still yet to come; with the way Oliver Glasner transformed Eberechi Eze into a goalscoring midfielder, the same could easily happen to Gibbs-White too. Forest fans will pray their electric number 10 can stay healthy, and if he does, Forest should be in for a successful year.

One to Watch: Omari Hutchinson

Whilst his debut campaign in the East Midlands was nothing to write home about, there is still a lot to be excited for surrounding Omari Hutchinson. The former Arsenal and Chelsea youth product is still only 22, and, after a breakout campaign with Ipswich in 24/25 will look to emulate those explots at The City Ground. With Glasner coming in, Hutchinson is likely to be utilised more centrally, and, being a natural number 10, this could be perfect for him. Hutchinson is creative, excellent on the ball and has a strong eye for pass, and with Chris Wood having some of the smartest movement around, Hutchinson could be seen as someone Glasner uses to turn a game on its head.

What’s Still Missing?

Whilst Forest may have stayed in the division last year, they did so by having the 8th best defence; they conceded less goals than Liverpool and Bournemouth, who came 5th and 6th last season, as well as only 1 less than third-placed Manchester United; however, with Chris Wood injured and approaching 35 years of age, only the 3 relegated sides, Palace, Sunderland, Everton and Fulham scored less goals than them last season, and that will be something The Reds need to rectify next season.

One striker linked in recent days is Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke, who despite suffering from injuries during his time in North London is still a good goalscorer in the Premier League. Glasner was able to revitalise Jean-Phillippe Mateta and could do the same to Solanke; they have similar profiles, both like to hold the ball up and bring others into play and both play off the shoulder of the last defender rather than dropping deeper into midfield. Solanke could be a very good signing for Forest and, means they don’t need to rely on Chris Wood as much for goals.

Additionally, Forest have been linked with Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, who could be available after just a season at The Etihad. The Dutchman is a very good ball carrier, strong and hard to dispossess but does not have the creativity of someone like Anderson, and plays a quite similar role to Ibrahim Sangare. Nonetheless, Reijnders would be a top capture for Forest.

Another midfielder linked is a second Tottenham player, this time Lucas Bergvall, but Spurs have been steadfast in their asking price; unlike Reijnders, Bergvall is much more of a technician, linking areas of the pitch with his neat footwork and passing ability, rather than sheer physicality. He would add a new element to the team instead of Schlager or Sangare, but his asking price has put Forest off for now; Spurs apparently want upwards of £60m for the 21 year old Swede.

At the back, Feyenoord’s Givairo Read has been heavily linked with a switch to The City Ground too, but it remains to be seen whether Forest will meet the Dutch side’s price. Read is a young, modern full back who is comfortable in possession, making him ideal to invert and tuck into midfield when his team has the ball. Forest are lacking depth in their wing back areas, and Read could be someone that Forest look towards to solve that issue.

Season Prediction:

Nottingham Forest ended last season on a high, managing to escape relegation and secure a 5th consecutive season back in the Premier League. The Reds add a highly esteemed manager in Oliver Glasner and, with more financial backing than he ever had at Palace, the Austrian could do even better than he did in South London.

Glasner’s system will dictate a lot of how Forest will perform this season, but some of their best players will be able to take that transition seamlessly; Gibbs-White, Williams and Murillo all look to be perfect fits for the new boss’ tactical set up, and, if the Austrian can unlock a new level put of all 3 of them, then Forest will only be better for it.

At the back, Forest appear to be very healthy already, and, most of their further recruitment will happen further up the pitch. With Wood entering the latter stages of his career and suffering from a serious injury last season, players such as Igor Jesus may need to step up more than they did last season; despite grabbing seven in 13 Europa League games, the Brazilian only netted six in 37 domestic games, a tally that will need to see some serious improvement for Forest to ascend up the table.

However, with Marinakis’ investment, Glasner’s Nottingham Forest seem a safe bet for a rise up the table; how far depends on the rest of their summer recruitment, and how quickly the players can get up to speed under the new gaffer.

My Prediction: 10th