Oliver Glasner's expected move to Nottingham Forest has landed badly at Crystal Palace. Palace fans are already reading it through the row over their Europa League demotion, and that is the backdrop to a switch that would be judged very differently in almost any other context.
Palace's grievance over Europe
Palace were demoted from the Europa League to the Conference League after Uefa ruled they had breached multi-club ownership rules involving John Textor's stakes in Palace and Lyon. Forest then wrote to Uefa to ask for clarity after expressing concerns about Palace's Europa League place. Palace were also fined £50,000 for a banner depicting Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis in an unfavourable manner.
Steve Parish called the demotion “probably one of the greatest injustices that has ever happened in European football”. Oliver Glasner answered with a dry line of his own, saying: “Now I'm leaving, I don't have to agree with the chairman”.
Glasner's Palace record and Forest's own instability
The resentment does not erase what Glasner did at Palace. Adam Wharton said he “has got to be one of the best managers Crystal Palace have ever had”, and the numbers support that view. Palace finished 15th in the Premier League with 45 points, then ended 10th in the Conference League league phase and won 3 of their 6 matches.
Glasner spent two and a half seasons at Palace and left with FA Cup glory, the Community Shield and the Conference League. Those are not the marks of a failed spell, whatever the fallout around the next move looks like.
Forest, though, are hardly in a stable place either. They finished 16th in the Premier League and 13th in the Europa League league phase, and are set to become Glasner's fifth manager in less than 12 months if the move is completed. That is a precarious landing spot for any coach, even one arriving with a strong reputation.
The Palace side of this story is still the sharper one. For their supporters, Forest are part of the chain of events around the European demotion, so Glasner heading there is always going to reopen old anger rather than close it.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
