'The first sign of trouble...' - Oliver Glasner ‘fight’ expected at Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner and owner Evangelos Marinakis are destined to fall out at some stage of the 2026-27 season. 

That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the new boss is likely to rub the owner "up the wrong way."

Glasner has just taken the reins at the City Ground after Vitor Pereira’s unceremonious exit, but has a history with public disagreements with owners of his previous clubs. 

Wyness has emphasised that "internal fights" behind the scenes are almost guaranteed, and added that both Glasner and Marinakis are likely to thrust any issues into the public eye.

The Reds are now on to their fifth permanent manager within the last 10 months, with Glasner tasked with steering them back up into the top half of the Premier League table this term.

He enjoyed a trophy-laden spell with Crystal Palace, and while the hope is that a similar scenario can play out at Forest, Wyness has warned that it is likely to all end in tears. 

‘Outspoken’ Oliver Glasner to cause Nottingham Forest ‘friction’

Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that there will be "friction" between Glasner and Marinakis at the first sign of trouble this season.

The Scottish businessman pointed towards the Austrian boss’ “outspoken” nature as a clear indication that disagreements will be on the horizon. 

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why the situation is something of a ticking time bomb. 

"I think it's almost nailed on that there’s going to be a bust-up between Marinakis and Glasner, it’s guaranteed," he said.

"When you look at Glasner’s outspoken comments as well, the two of them will rub each other up in the wrong way, unless for some reason the roads get together and they decide to have a happy year of co-existence, but I doubt it.

"There's going to be points of friction. It'll all be sweetness and light at the start, but I'm pretty sure that those two characters will start to rub each other up the wrong way.

"It's going to be an interesting situation, and we're going to be watching Forest very closely because the first sign of trouble, you know that there's going to be some fighting going on internally and they'll both go external as well, so there's only going to be one winner there."

Nottingham Forest already have plan for reduced compensation

Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider earlier this week that he is "almost certain" that Forest will have placed a break clause in Glasner’s contract. 

That will enable them to pay reduced compensation if they ever decide to sack the 51-year-old, despite him reportedly earning £13million each year as part of their agreement. 

The club have already planned ahead for the possibility that the appointment doesn’t work out, and have already covered themselves for what Brown notes would otherwise have been a “huge payout.”

Glasner is undoubtedly a big catch for Forest after his exploits at Palace, but there are expected to be bumps in the road during his time at the City Ground.