Oliver Glasner’s arrival at Nottingham Forest could have a significant impact on their FPL prospects, with his system creating several potentially interesting roles.
Here, we assess what to expect from Glasner, which Forest players could benefit most and whether any deserve a place in our Gameweek 1 squads.
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WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM GLASNER?
Early pre-season signs suggest Glasner will set Forest up in a similar shape to the one he used at Palace. A 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 in possession gives the wing-backs licence to push forward, before Forest drop into a 5-4-1 mid-block without the ball.
Glasner has stressed that he doesn’t view the formation as rigid, however. Instead, he places greater importance on the principles behind the system.
Those principles start without possession. His Palace side often defended in a 5-4-1 mid-block, attempting to funnel opponents into wide areas before pressing aggressively and attacking quickly following turnovers. In possession, the wing-backs push high and wide, leaving the midfielders to occupy spaces around the centre-forward.
Forest’s direct approach from last season is unlikely to disappear under Glasner, but the way they progress the ball could change significantly. His adventurous wing-backs should provide far greater width.
The table below demonstrates that, when games were level last season, both Forest and Palace displayed roughly league-average levels of directness. However, Glasner could bring something to Forest that previous managers haven’t: greater attacking width.
Above: Premier League 2025/26 Possession Directness by Game State
THE BENEFICIARIES OF GLASNER’S SYSTEM
NECO WILLIAMS
Ownership: 11.8%
Price: £5.0m
Position: DEF
xPoints: 124
Neco Williams looks set to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Oliver Glasner’s arrival. Early pre-season signs suggest he will operate as an advanced wing-back. The role should give the Welshman greater licence to push forward and could unlock even more attacking potential from an already adventurous defender.
Williams could operate in a similar role to Daniel Muñoz under Glasner at Crystal Palace. The Colombian registered 16 combined goals and assists across the last two Premier League seasons, highlighting the attacking potential available to wing-backs in Glasner’s system.
There should be little concern over Williams’ minutes, either. The £5.0m defender featured in 37 Premier League matches last season, averaging 87 minutes per appearance. Add in the potential for clean sheets and Williams could offer multiple routes to FPL returns under Glasner.
By contrast, I don’t expect the same attacking output from his fellow wing-back, Aina. As demonstrated below, Aina possesses a very different attacking profile to Muñoz. He offers significantly less in terms of chance creation and tends to spend far less time in and around the opposition box.
For that reason, my preference would be to spend the additional £0.5m on Neco Williams. His attacking profile appears far better suited to maximising the potential of Glasner’s wing-back system.
Above: @danscapephoto player comparison between Aina and Munoz
MORGAN GIBBS-WHITE
Ownership: 11.6%
Price: £8.0m
Position: MID
xPoints: 171
Gibbs-White managed 19 goal contributions last season, ranking in the 93rd percentile for goal involvement per 90 (0.55). He also posted an impressive 0.45 non-penalty xG per 90.
Glasner’s system uses the wing-backs to provide width, allowing attacking midfielders such as Gibbs-White to operate more centrally. With two established centre-forward options to play off, it is difficult to envisage his attacking numbers dropping significantly.
Reported transfer interest from the likes of Real Madrid and PSG also underlines his growing reputation, and there is certainly scope for him to improve further.
The bigger question with Gibbs-White is his price tag. Is he worth the outlay for a midfielder who is unlikely to have penalties or a monopoly on set pieces?
He is definitely one to watch, but I would struggle to include him in my Gameweek 1 squad without first seeing how he operates under Glasner. His streaky nature last season provides another reason for caution, with seven of his 19 goal contributions arriving in the final six Gameweeks.
With that said, I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of taking an early punt on him.
PLAYERS TO WATCH AND HONOURABLE MENTIONS
- Ibrahim Sangaré – Could he inherit Elliot Anderson’s role as Forest’s main DEFCON option? He is projected to hit the threshold in 39% of the opening five fixtures, potentially putting him on the radar as a budget option.
- Nikola Milenković, Murillo and Ousmane Diomande – The trio look likely to form Glasner’s first-choice back three and are projected to hit DEFCON in 37% of the opening five fixtures. Their security of starts could make them worth monitoring.
- Matz Sels – At £4.5m, Sels provides a cheaper route into the Forest defence and could become an appealing goalkeeper option if Glasner can improve their defensive numbers.
EARLY OPPORTUNITIES
Forest’s early fixtures are very hit-and-miss and, from a fan’s perspective, perhaps a little daunting. From an FPL perspective, however, their opening schedule becomes far more interesting if you can find the right rotation.
If you are considering players such as Williams or Sels, who you may not want to start every week, finding a suitable rotation for GW2 and potentially GW4 could make them much more appealing. This could prove particularly useful for managers planning to Bench Boost in GW1.
Some potential rotations include:
- Brentford – Leeds (A) in GW2, Sunderland (A) in GW4
Rotation options: Ajer, Sangaré, Collins, Dango, Schade, Kayode - Tottenham – Newcastle (H) in GW2, Everton (H) in GW4
Rotation options: Porro, Van de Ven, Kinsky - Coventry – Hull (H) in GW2, Brighton (H) in GW4
Rotation options: Rushworth, Thomas, Mason-Clarke, Van-Ewijk
THE FIXTURE RUNS TO FOLLOW AND AVOID
GW12-GW15: Forest’s best five-game fixture run this half of the season
Clean sheet %:
Projected goals:
GW7-GW11: Forest’s worst five-game fixture run this half of the season
Clean sheet %:
Projected goals:
PREDICTED XI
Based on what we have seen in pre-season, this is how Forest could line up under Glasner in Gameweek 1.
There are still a few question marks. Diomande may not be ready to start in GW1 and could instead come into the side from GW2 onwards. Schlager provides another option in midfield in place of McAtee.
The situation up front is also far from clear. How Glasner manages Igor Jesus and Chris Wood remains to be seen, particularly without European football to provide additional minutes this season.
For now, however, Igor Jesus looks the likelier of the two to get the nod in GW1.
Above: Predicted Forest XI
FINAL THOUGHTS
As a neutral, I think Forest’s appointment of Glasner can only be a good thing from both a football and FPL perspective. In his three seasons managing Palace, he brought them their first domestic and European titles, using the same system he now looks set to implement at Forest.
For now, however, Forest look like a team worth monitoring closely rather than one to invest heavily in from the outset.
If Glasner can quickly impose his style, their defenders and wing-backs in particular could emerge as some of the more interesting early-season FPL options. They could offer routes to points through both attacking returns and DEFCON.
In terms of their more expensive assets, such as Gibbs-White, I’d be tentative about including him in my GW1 squad, although I certainly wouldn’t knock the pick. He’s undoubtedly a talisman for Forest, but I’d argue there could be better routes to points among other similarly priced midfielders.
Striker Igor Jesus is getting plenty of attention following an impressive pre-season and, at £6.0m, it’s easy to understand the appeal. You can never completely dismiss a starting striker at that price, but alternatives such as Calvert-Lewin, Gonzalo, Brobbey or Evanilson intrigue me more heading into GW1.
It’s also worth remembering that pre-season form doesn’t always translate into the regular season. The most important things to take away from these games are team structure, tactics and minutes, rather than results or individual hauls.
Overall, I’d treat Forest as a watch-and-wait for now, but I think their FPL upside under Glasner is considerably higher than it was last season.
