Nottingham Forest fans will love what Oliver Glasner once said about Xaver Schlager as 'medical' booked

Nottingham Forest look set to complete the signing of midfield maestro Xaver Schlager on a free transfer.

Reports have emerged that a medical has been scheduled this week for the 28-year-old midfielder after he agreed a deal to move to the City Ground.

Schlager became a free agent at the end of the 2025-26 campaign after he rejected a contract extension at RB Leipzig.

He is now set to reunite with his former manager Oliver Glasner, with the pair previously working together at Wolfsburg.

Schlager was one of the coach’s first signings at the Bundesliga club, and they worked together until 2021.

Glasner has previously delivered high praise for Schlager’s performances and has highlighted how good the midfielder is at counter-pressing.

Oliver Glasner: Xaver Schlager counter-pressed brilliantly

Upon arriving at Wolfsburg back in 2019, Glasner faced a difficult Bundesliga opener against a newly promoted FC Koln side.

However, they managed to overcome their opponents 2-1, with Schlager being one of the star players in the victory.

As a result, after the game, Glasner pointed out how good the midfielder was in the build-up to Wolfsburg’s second goal.

Talking to Laola 1 on 18 August 2019, he said: "After losing possession, Xaver counter-pressed brilliantly and won the ball back. 

“That's just part of his Red Bull DNA.

“And then we played out that numerical advantage (...) very well."

Therefore, Nottingham Forest fans will love this development as it shows that Glasner is clearly a fan of the midfielder and already knows how to get the best out of him.

Hopefully, The Athletic’s report is correct, and Schlager will soon become Forest’s first signing of the Glasner era.

How good is Schlager?

According to Fotmob on 15 July, Schlager has some excellent stats from the Bundesliga last season, which has no doubt helped to attract Forest to the signing.

The midfielder was averaging 0.38 assists, 1.51 aerial duels won, 2.26 tackles, 2.64 interceptions, 0.38 blocked shots and 6.03 recoveries per 90 minutes.

Therefore, if these stats can be replicated, there is a massive chance that Schlager will be a hit in the Premier League and could go a long way to replacing Elliot Anderson at the City Ground.

However, it remains to be seen if the deal for Schlager will be officially completed, with the summer transfer window often overseeing many twists and turns.