'Proven winner' joins 'box office' Forest

[BBC][Getty Images]If anybody thought it was going to be a normal summer at Nottingham Forest, then they weren't really paying attention. It turns out Vitor Pereira, who arrived in February with a contract until next summer, had a clause allowing either party to end it before the end of June.

>Given that the rumoured new contract for Pereira in May hadn't emerged, with further rumours of a move to Saudi Arabia, it did beg the question: what's going on?

>Well, Oliver Glasner is the answer. In some ways it's understandable — numerous top managers were available this summer and while it seemed as though Forest had accidentally found themselves a head coach for the near-future, it was not a long-term plan by design.

>Who's to know what would've happened with Pereira — he certainly earned his chance at a full season. Picking up the pieces of two disastrous managerial appointments, the Portuguese steered us to Premier League safety and a Europa League semi-final. And he did it with grace, charm and humility.

>However, Glasner is a proven winner — and took Crystal Palace to hitherto unseen heights. A Europa League trophy with Eintracht Frankfurt, an FA Cup with Palace and last season's Conference League is quite the record.

>The strange beef between the two clubs will no doubt continue now, although ultimately Palace's Uefa demotion saw them clinch a European trophy and we haven't exactly poached an incumbent manager.

>There is a fear that Glasner has a habit of falling out with club hierarchies — and Evangelos Marinakis will not take kindly to a manager who thinks he calls the shots. But equally, the owner wants the club to have a winning mentality — which is precisely why he's brought in Glasner.

>As usual, Forest are box office — even if it's just for the controversy. With Elliot Anderson expected to complete a £116m move to Manchester City, the transfer window will no doubt be an interesting one too.

>Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club