What Nottingham Forest can expect from Xaver Schlager after Leipzig exit | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest hope free agent Xaver Schlager can help address a midfield gap after Elliot Anderson’s £116m move to Manchester City. The Austria international has yet to play in the Premier League.

According to Nottingham Post, he has 150 Bundesliga outings, and reuniting with new head coach Oliver Glasner appears part of the appeal. He left RB Leipzig at the end of last season.

A Salzburg academy graduate, Schlager broke through in 2016/17 and later helped the club reach the Europa League semi-finals in 2018, totalling 67 league appearances. He joined Wolfsburg the following summer to work under Glasner and became important despite ankle and knee setbacks, playing 81 times across three seasons.

Leipzig activated a €12m (£10m) clause in 2022 and handed him a four-year deal. He won the German Cup and Super Cup, suffered an ACL tear in 2024, still made 81 league appearances and served as vice-captain.

Talks over an extension were described as open and respectful, and several European clubs showed interest before his departure. Schlager has 55 caps and four goals for Austria, featuring at this summer’s World Cup. He has been likened to Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Lothar Matthaus argued Bayern should consider him, citing his free-agent status, experience, Bundesliga know-how and Laimer-like tenacity and attacking contribution.

Source: Nottingham Post