Xaver Schlager expected to join Nottingham Forest and reunite with Glasner | OneFootball

Xaver Schlager is set for a reunion with Oliver Glasner at Nottingham Forest. The midfielder is expected to link up in Portugal on a two-year deal, though the move is not yet complete.

NY Times reports the 28-year-old left RB Leipzig at the end of his contract after four seasons, having attracted interest from Juventus, and has opted to work again with his former Wolfsburg coach.

Schlager played under Glasner for two years at Wolfsburg, helping reach the Europa League last 16, then finishing fourth in the Bundesliga to qualify for the Champions League.

At Leipzig he became vice-captain last season and a vocal dressing-room figure, valued for honesty and standards. He mentored younger players and would suit the values promoted at Forest’s Nigel Doughty Academy.

On the pitch he is a combative, technically able ball-winner who carries play forward, aligning with Leipzig’s progressive style and Glasner’s preferences. His ball-carrying could add thrust alongside Ibrahim Sangare and Nico Dominguez.

Two cruciate ligament injuries, in 2021 and 2024, checked his momentum, yet he still played more than 2,000 minutes last season, suggesting fitness issues are behind him.

Away from football he reads voraciously and invests in a restaurant in Langenhart in Austria and a party bus company founded with two former RB Salzburg team-bus drivers.

Forest must fill a void after Elliot Anderson’s £116 million move to Manchester City. Schlager is not a like-for-like replacement, but his leadership could aid a squad chasing a return to Europe.

Source: NY Times