Xaver Schlager will be reunited with Oliver Glasner after completing his move to Nottingham Forest.The midfielder has signed as a free agent following the end of his contract with RB Leipzig.The Athletic exclusively reported that Forest were set to sign Schlager to a two-year deal with the option for an additional year. He had attracted interest from several European clubs and Leipzig had attempted to tie him down to a new contract.
Welcome to Nottingham Forest, Xaver Schlager! ✍️
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) July 23, 2026Schlager previously worked under the recently appointed Forest head coach at Wolfsburg, where they reached the last 16 of the Europa League and subsequently qualified for the Champions League via a fourth-placed finish in the Bundesliga.And he was a player that Glasner was keen to be reunited with at the City Ground. Schlager had previously attracted interest from a number of clubs across Europe, including Juventus.It will be a major boost for the Austrian to have a player in the dressing room who is already accustomed to his mentality and demands.‘A dressing room leader’Oliver Glasner has spent the last few weeks trying to instil his methodology and expectations into his new squad at Nottingham Forest.Having a player in the dressing room who already fully understands his ethos — particularly one with the experience and leadership skills of 28-year-old — will be a huge help to the new head coach.Schlager fulfilled the role of vice captain at RB Leipzig last season and the German club were keen to keep hold of the Austrian midfielder, who made four appearances in the World Cup, to take his tally of caps to 55.Talk to those who have worked with him at Leipzig — where he won the German Cup and the German Super Cup, while making 81 league appearances — and they paint a picture of an unflinchingly honest character, with a traditional set of values; a leader in the dressing room.The departure of Elliot Anderson saw Forest lose one of their best players, but also somebody who was a growing influence in the squad.Schlager will help to fill that leadership role and, while he is not the same type of player as Anderson and might not possess quite the same level of quality, he is not short of ability and has attracted interest from some big clubs.It could be a hugely astute first signing of the Glasner era.
