Forest new boy Schlager targets European return under Glasner as Leeds await opening day | OneFootball

Xaver Schlager has set a European ambition after joining Nottingham Forest as Oliver Glasner’s first signing, with Leeds United visiting on opening day.

Glasner announced in January he would leave Crystal Palace at season’s end and was appointed by Forest earlier this month following Vitor Pereira’s exit. Speaking to Nottingham Forest’s official website, Schlager said, "It's a big honour to be here and I'm very happy".

Forest rotated through four managers in a troubled 2025-26, flirting with relegation before finishing fifth-bottom, three points behind newly promoted Leeds. They still reached the Europa League final.

The Austrian international midfielder arrives on a free after his RB Leipzig contract expired. The new season opens with Leeds at the City Ground on Saturday, 22 August.

He called Forest a traditional club with a big history that won the European Cup under Brian Clough, adding that he wants to give everything. He said he wanted a good club with good players and a new challenge, describing it as perfect that Glasner is now coach. He added that he wants to help the club back into Europe and believes the team have a good chance, noting his own experience on that stage.

Elsewhere, newly promoted Ipswich Town have completed a triple swoop, signing Abdul Fatawu from Leicester for £20m plus £3m add-ons, Issa Diop from Fulham for £8.5m, and goalkeeper Kayne van Oevelen from FC Volendam for around £3.4m. The trio cost £34.9m including add-ons.

Source: yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk