Xaver Schlager Rejoins Oliver Glasner at Nottingham Forest

Austrian midfielder Xaver Schlager, 28, left RB Leipzig after his contract expired last month and agreed to join Premier League side Nottingham Forest, where Oliver Glasner is head coach.

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Schlager and Glasner first linked up at Wolfsburg, where the Austrian made 66 appearances between 2019 and 2021 under Glasner’s leadership. Both hail from small northern Austrian towns—Schlager from St Valentin (?10,000 residents) and Glasner from Riedau (?2,500). Their professional paths crossed again at RB Salzburg: Glasner served as assistant manager (2012-14) and Schlager played for the club (2016-19) after progressing through its youth system. Schlager describes his fit with Glasner’s “Red Bull philosophy,” noting that their tactical thinking is closely aligned.

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A regular for the Austria national team with 55 caps, Schlager started all four matches at this summer’s World Cup before Austria’s exit in the last-32.

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Beyond football, Schlager enjoys golf in nature and runs a party-bus business. He also co-owns a restaurant near his hometown, citing a desire to give back to the community that shaped him.

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• “I read a lot of psychological books that explore mindset, sense of life, stuff like this,” — Xaver Schlager

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• “We have known each other for a long time,” — Xaver Schlager

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• “This I can say: I fit (into Glasner’s philosophy) because he comes from the Red Bull philosophy, so the thinking is really close in how we play,” — Xaver Schlager

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• “I was a new signing, and we changed the coach after five games (of the 2022-23 Bundesliga season) to my former coach in Salzburg (Marco Rose),” — Xaver Schlager

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• “I learned a lot from my village. They’re really good people,” — Xaver Schlager

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