Inside Oliver Glasner's Nottingham Forest project as pre-season graft and transfer priorities take shape | OneFootball

In the Algarve heat, Oliver Glasner’s Nottingham Forest project is taking shape, with pre-season central to shifting the club from survival mode to European ambition.

According to Nottingham Post, the 12-day camp, which ends on Friday, is longer than usual after Vitor Pereira’s exit and Glasner’s arrival. Sessions are single, extended blocks designed to raise intensity and deliver instructions in one hit.

Glasner wants intensity and a press, but he will tailor demands to his squad and accepts defending deep is sometimes required. Set-pieces will be maximised, recruitment accounts for a lack of height, and physicality at the back is prized. Sporting’s Ousmane Diomande is seen as a fit for the right of a back three, while Jair Cunha has impressed but is inexperienced at 21 with nine Premier League games.

Without European football, a leaner dressing room is likely. Wing-backs are pivotal in a three-four-two-one, wingers could convert if they can run with sustained intensity, and the two 10s must dovetail to deliver goals.

Glasner admits impatience, yet windows rarely oblige. Xaver Schlager featured in a behind closed doors friendly against Vitoria and is the sole addition so far, with four more sought. A right-back is targeted, with Givairo Read pursued, Diomande talks hinge on structure, and Lucas Bergvall is admired though Tottenham’s stance is uncertain.

Forest also want a striker, prioritising quality. To crack the top half they likely need double figures, and while Chris Wood’s 20 in that seventh-placed season under Nuno is a benchmark, after last season’s serious knee injury a repeat is uncertain, though his experience matters. Last term Morgan Gibbs-White hit 15 in the Premier League, Igor Jesus six and Taiwo Awoniyi four. The preferred profile is tall, physical and mobile with pace, and Jean-Philippe Mateta is not considered due to last season’s knee injury. Glasner frames the task as a mountain to climb.

Source: Nottingham Post