Nottingham Forest's Strategic Summer Recruitment

Nottingham Forest chose scalpel over sledgehammer this summer.

After years of churn and scattergun recruitment, Oliver Glasner has gone the other way, trimming and targeting rather than tearing everything up again. He likes a tight group, players he can drill, trust and push. That meant no chaotic flood of signings, just a handful of carefully selected pieces dropped into the core he inherited.

The headline move is Liam Delap. £50 million is a serious statement for a club that has spent the last few years fighting for stability, but Forest see him as the long-term heir to Chris Wood. Delap arrives bruised from his Chelsea spell, short of rhythm and short of confidence. What he will not be short of at the City Ground is opportunity. Regular minutes, a clear role, and a manager who backs him to rediscover the aggressive, relentless forward he threatened to become as a teenager.

Behind him, Glasner has quietly rebuilt his defence in his own image. Ousmane Diomande’s £34m signing is about more than depth. The Ivorian is expected to slide into a back three alongside Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic, giving Forest a blend of youth, power and composure that should suit Glasner’s front-foot style. If that trio settles, Forest suddenly have a defensive platform that looks built to last rather than patched together.

Out wide, there is no room for comfort either. Daniel Muñoz has followed Glasner from Crystal Palace, and that familiarity matters. The Colombian knows the demands, the pressing triggers, the runs Glasner wants from his wing-backs. His arrival turns up the heat on Ola Aina at right-back, who now faces a direct, trusted rival for his spot.

In midfield, Xaver Schlager is another reunion. Glasner knows exactly what he is getting from their time together at Wolfsburg: intensity, discipline, and a player who can knit together transitions without fuss. Forest have not gone for a marquee replacement to fill the gap left by Elliot Anderson, but Schlager’s presence gives Glasner a lieutenant in the middle of the pitch, someone who understands his methods and can drag team-mates up to that level.

All of this comes with a crucial backdrop: no European football. Last season’s run to the Europa League semi-finals thrilled but also drained them, leaving Forest battered and thin by the time Aston Villa ruthlessly exposed them in a heavy second-leg defeat. This time, the calendar is kinder. A smaller, tighter squad is not a risk when you are not crossing the continent every other Thursday.

There is, unusually for Forest in recent years, a sense of continuity. After 13 arrivals last summer, this window feels almost restrained. Faces are familiar, partnerships are already forming, and the dressing room no longer feels like an arrivals lounge.

Glasner has been clear about one thing: he is not a magician. He has warned against expecting instant transformation. Now, though, he finally has something he did not enjoy last season – time. Time to coach, to refine, to let Delap grow, to let Diomande, Murillo and Milenkovic harden into a unit, to see whether this leaner, more deliberate Forest can become his team in more than just name.