Glassner rejects Nottingham Forest reinforcement and postpones moves to January

Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner has revealed he turned down an offer from club owner Evangelos Marinakis to sign more players during the summer transfer window, preferring to maintain the balance of the squad and wait until the winter transfer window in January.

Nottingham Forest appointed Glasner as their new manager last July, succeeding Portuguese coach Vítor Pereira, who led the team since February and helped avoid relegation, finishing the season in sixteenth place. During Glasner's first transfer window, the club signed six players, most notably Liam Delap, Ousmane Diomande, Daniel Munoz, and Gustavo Sa, along with Xavier Schlager and Steven Benda in two free transfers, with investments exceeding €130 million in some deals.

Glasner stated in an interview with "Kicker": "The important thing when looking at the team as a whole is the strategy and rebuilding. We did not sign a large number of new players, but targeted specific names, such as Xaver Schlager. And since we are not participating in European competitions this season, we wanted to reduce the size of the group."

He added: "I even rejected the owner's offer to sign more players. I prefer to wait until January, when we have more time to plan."

The Austrian coach explained that Marinakis was a key factor in convincing him to take charge of Nottingham Forest, noting that the club was not initially among his options before negotiations with the owner changed his stance. He said: "Honestly, Forest was not on my radar as a potential club to move to. I need to feel that there is potential, and that everyone is ready to achieve it, and that is the case here. During my talks with the owner, I felt a great enthusiasm for the project and realized that I am excited about this task."

Glassner emphasized that his goals align with Marinakis, stating: "Of course, no owner invests their money without reason, and they have to make many decisions. But we agree on the fundamentals: we want to achieve maximum success for Nottingham Forest. I told him that I need him when things get tough, and the most important thing, despite everything he does around the club, is what happens on the pitch. We are currently working on setting these priorities." Forest are currently 14th in the Premier League after achieving just one win in their first five matches, and they were eliminated from the EFL Cup by Leeds United.