Oliver Glasner may be the first Nottingham Forest manager in the modern era to express delight over the club’s transfer deadline day business — because he was happy to see a few players leave, rather than arrive.

While fans were waiting for news of new signings, Glasner was saying “thanks, but no thanks” to the club hierarchy when offered the opportunity to make last-minute additions before 11pm on Tuesday.

Since his appointment, the Austrian has been crystal clear in what he wants.

Forest had one or two carefully researched targets, who they had worked on over a period of weeks — including Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson — and would have liked to have signed before the deadline. But, when those approaches proved unsuccessful, Glasner was of the view that Forest would not benefit from doing panicked deals.

“I’m very happy with how the transfer window went at the end,” the 52-year-old said this week. “We wanted to reduce the number of players and also add quality players with top character. I think we achieved everything.

“I am the first manager who helped to save Mr Marinakis’ money. Those transfer targets were prepared well; we had identified the profiles we wanted. It made no sense to add somebody else.”

Glasner outlined the squad he wanted during the club’s pre-season training camp in Portugal — a group of 22 to 24 senior players, supported by the next generation.

Nottingham Forest are in a good place after their summer transfer business (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

As he prepares his Forest side to host Tottenham Hotspur at the City Ground today, Glasner has 23 of 24 senior players available to him, with Nicolo Savona the only one missing through injury.

There is competition for places in every position and a group who will all feel they have a chance of being involved — as well as a clear pathway to first-team opportunities for academy players.

The perspective can easily be skewed by the memory of previous windows, kick-started by the one in the summer of 2022, when Forest made a record-breaking 21 additions following promotion. Last summer, Forest spent around £200million ($270m at current exchange rates) on 13 new players, as they prepared for Europa League competition.

Forest made only five signings this summer (six if you include attacking midfielder Gustavo Sa, who immediately joined Olympiacos on loan) — and one of those was a third-choice goalkeeper, Steven Benda. This was the first year since the pandemic-affected 2020-2021 season that Forest did not make a summer deadline-day signing. But they still have a squad of genuine quality and made some impressive additions in Liam Delap, Ousmane Diomande, Daniel Munoz and free agent Xaver Schlager.

So, what does Forest’s squad depth look like?

Goalkeeper

Matz Sels was the joint winner of the Golden Glove award with Arsenal’s David Raya in 2024-2025.

Sels is a strong shot-stopper — his save percentage of 70.9 per cent was only bettered by Manchester City No 1 Gianluigi Donnarumma among regular starters in the Premier League last season. He had injury issues with his groin, and distribution is not one of his strengths. But he is a proven goalkeeper at this level.

John Victor still has the memory of his error at Aston Villa in January hanging over him — when he rushed out of his area, conceded a goal and picked up a serious knee injury. But the Brazilian was called up for his national team in October and there is a sense he is better than that moment suggested, with a period when former coach Sean Dyche saw fit to give him a run in the side ahead of Sels.

Is he likely to be picked ahead of Sels by Glasner? It feels unlikely. But he is a reasonable back-up. Benda, formerly of Fulham, was signed to offer further support.

Defence

Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and Diomande are the defensive trio Glasner desperately wanted — he feels as though the latter’s signing from Sporting CP has given Forest three players capable of forging the same kind of unit that was the foundation for Crystal Palace’s success under the Austrian.

Bey0nd that, Forest have the highly regarded 21-year-old Brazilian, Jair Cunha. The versatile Savona is also comfortable playing in the centre and Ryan Yates demonstrated in pre-season that he can drop into that role.

Glasner feels he has six options to play in a central defensive trio and four players who would be confident in the heart of a back four.

Forest have generous wing-back cover on both sides, following the addition of Munoz — who Glasner will know very well from Palace. Luca Netz continues to make a steady impression, while the consistently strong Neco Williams and Ola Aina can operate on either side.

Midfield

Forest made a significant effort to land Tottenham Hotspur’s Lucas Bergvall as a replacement for the Manchester City-bound Elliot Anderson. Other targets were considered. But, as pre-season unfolded, Glasner became more convinced that James McAtee was capable of filling the void.

Forest believe the former Manchester City player can become an influential, integral figure, playing in a deeper role than previously. His display at Anfield was early evidence that their faith may be well-placed.

Glasner has faith that James McAtee can shine in a deeper midfield role (Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images)

Had they got a deal over the line for Armstrong — before a backlash from Everton’s fans that caused their owners to back out — Forest would have added a 19-year-old, versatile midfielder with a very high ceiling. He would not have been an Anderson replacement, but he would have been a similar English talent with huge potential — just as Anderson was when he arrived from Newcastle United in 2024.

But Forest are still equipped with some quality options, all of whom have different strengths. Ibrahim Sangare continues to grow into the dominant, physical presence the club hoped he would become when he signed from PSV in 2023. His 4.93 recoveries per 90 minutes last season were only beaten by Anderson among Forest players who started more than five Premier League games.

Schlager is an astute arrival as a free agent, following the end of his RB Leipzig contract, in a move that reunites him with a manager who knows him well. His work rate and industry look set to make him a popular figure at the City Ground.

The value of Nico Dominguez’s versatility is easy to underestimate, with the Argentinian capable of slotting into numerous midfield roles with craft and reliability. And, while his opportunities diminished last season, you should never write off club captain Yates’ ability to contribute.

Final third

Glasner’s 3-4-2-1 formation effectively gives Forest a front three, supported in wide areas by attack-minded wing-backs.

And they are spoilt for choice in those roles. Morgan Gibbs-White has scored more goals (13) than any other Premier League player in 2026; he is Forest’s most important player and the man who makes them tick. Competition for the other No 10 role is fierce.

Dan Ndoye impressed at the World Cup with Switzerland and looks full of confidence on his return — Glasner values his pace and direct play.

The pacy Dan Ndoye is highly valued by Glasner (David Rogers/Getty Images)

Eintracht Frankfurt wanted to take Arnaud Kalimuendo back to Germany for a second loan spell, but Glasner was happy for him to stay at the City Ground as another attacking option. Callum Hudson-Odoi’s preparations have been hampered a little by injury, but Glasner regards him as being a valuable option as a wide No 10.

Igor Jesus was arguably the best player in pre-season, scoring in every game he played apart from the 45 minutes against Barcelona — he has often looked more at home playing deeper, but remains a good option for the No 9 role.

Delap may prove to be the most significant of all the signings, as the former Chelsea striker provides the physical presence, pace and battling qualities Glasner craves. It will take pressure off Chris Wood, who remains a genuine asset but is fast approaching his 35th birthday, while playing through a knee issue.

Tottenham Hotspur changed their long-held attitude towards selling in the transfer market this summer.

In the past, they were guilty of holding onto unhappy players for too long and watching their value depreciate. Over the past six months, however, chief executive officer Vinai Venkatesham has spoken publicly on multiple occasions about the need for a different strategy.

Luka Vuskovic, Pape Matar Sarr and Kevin Danso all wanted to leave, and in each case their wish was granted. Guglielmo Vicario, Djed Spence and Cristian Romero have also moved to Juventus, Inter and Atletico Madrid respectively. Richarlison came close to rejoining his previous club Everton and was the subject of multiple offers from Turkish side Trabzonspor but remained at Spurs after the English deadline and was then left out of coach Roberto De Zerbi’s 25-man official Premier League squad. In total, Tottenham raised over £130million through sales this summer.

However, they did not sanction a departure for Lucas Bergvall.

The Sweden international expressed a preference to leave even before Spurs signed Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali in club-record deals, which greatly increased the competition for places in midfield. Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United both made bids for the 20-year-old.

Forest were confident of completing a deal, but Bergvall travels to their City Ground stadium today (Saturday) still a member of their opponents’ squad.

There have been lots of twists and turns over the past few months but, with the English game’s transfer window now closed, he will be staying at Tottenham until at least January.

Bergvall joined Spurs from Swedish side Djurgarden for £8.5million in the summer of 2024. Bergvall’s father, Andreas, told The Athletic it was a “five-year contract but we talked about it as a two-year project.”

The then teenager was mainly limited to appearances in cup competitions until an injury crisis midway through that season prompted then head coach Ange Postecoglou to give him more opportunities. He never looked back after making his first Premier League start in a 5-0 win against Southampton in the December.

Bergvall’s influence grew, and he signed a new six-year contract in the April. He may have missed the Europa League final win against Manchester United the following month because of an ankle injury but still won Spurs’ player of the season award, as voted by the fans — an incredible achievement, given his age.

Bergvall celebrates his first, and so far only, Premier League goal, away to West Ham in September 2025 (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

That two-year project appeared to be ahead of schedule, but it took a backwards step last season.

Bergvall started four of the first six league games, and scored what remains his only Premier League goal in a 3-0 victory over West Ham United. But Thomas Frank, Postecoglou’s successor appointed that summer, kept experimenting with him in different midfield roles, including playing wide on the left.

The Swede was in and out of the starting XI under Frank until, in January’s Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund of Germany, he suffered an ankle injury which required surgery. He missed 10 matches, which covered the February end of Frank’s brief reign. He made two appearances off the bench for even-shorter-lived replacement Igor Tudor, then started De Zerbi’s opening game in charge at Sunderland in April.

He played behind Richarlison in a 4-2-3-1 system ahead of a double pivot of Archie Gray and Conor Gallagher. Bergvall was substituted right after Nordi Mukiele scored the only goal for Sunderland in the 61st minute and did not start any of the remaining six league fixtures. He was an unused substitute in their final two matches, against Chelsea and Everton, when the club’s top-flight survival was on the line.

According to sources close to the dressing room, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, Bergvall grew frustrated towards the end of the season because he was being played out of position in training. He could accept he would not play every game but felt like his development was being overlooked.

De Zerbi informed Bergvall he would need to reinvent himself as a right-sided midfielder. There was a feeling that the manager had concerns about his ability to carry out specific tactical instructions.

Along with concerns about game time, this is what prompted Bergvall to tell De Zerbi that he wanted to leave after the season ended, with Forest emerging as a potential exit route.

They had identified three central midfielders who could replace Elliot Anderson for them following the England international’s £116million summer move to Manchester City. Bergvall was at the top of the list above Tijjani Reijnders, the Netherlands international who eventually joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah from City, and Everton teenager Harrison Armstrong.

Miltiadis Marinakis, the son of Forest’s owner Evangelos, watched Bergvall start for Sweden in a 3-0 loss to France in the round of 32 at the World Cup. Bergvall received positive feedback about the Midlands club from Spence, former Spurs team-mate Brennan Johnson and Sweden colleague Anthony Elanga, who had all played for them in the past.

The Athletic reported on July 16 that Tottenham had rejected an offer from Forest for Bergvall. The following day, it emerged Newcastle submitted a £46m bid which exceeded Forest’s approach. Eddie Howe supported Newcastle’s interest in Bergvall as they looked to replace the departing Tonali. They and Barcelona had previously been interested before he joined Spurs.

Tottenham rate Bergvall highly but, according to multiple sources, were prepared to sell if they received an offer of around £60million that included a significant sell-on clause. It would have represented a huge profit on the fee paid to Djurgarden.

Forest were prepared to break their transfer record for Bergvall but felt Spurs’ valuation was too high. They did not find a direct replacement for Anderson but Xaver Schlager, who had played for their new manager Oliver Glasner at Wolfsburg in Germany, arrived on a free transfer after leaving RB Leipzig to bolster the midfield options.

Bergvall in World Cup action for Sweden this summer against Kylian Mbappe of France (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The plan at Forest now is to convert James McAtee into a central midfielder — he has previously played on the wing — and the 23-year-old was placed on a special fitness programme over the summer to bulk him up. Glasner has been working extensively with the former England Under-21 international to improve his game out of possession and find more ways to get him on the ball. Forest are confident he can become a big influence for them after an underwhelming debut season.

Newcastle signed 20-year-old defensive midfielder Aladji Bamba from Monaco of France’s Ligue 1, while Howe’s abrupt departure after almost five years as head coach was another complicating factor in their pursuit of Bergvall. They eventually purchased Spain international Nico Gonzalez from City for Howe’s successor Matthias Jaissle to complete their midfield rebuild.

Bergvall’s future was unclear when he travelled with Spurs on their pre-season tour to New Zealand and Australia at the end of July. De Zerbi revealed they had not spoken and said that anyone “who is not happy, is not proud to stay here, has to leave”.

Yet the pair had a productive conversation in person during that tour, and Bergvall came away feeling much more positive about his future with Tottenham. De Zerbi performed a U-turn in public but did add he could not guarantee anybody game time.

“His position is very clear for me now; also because I needed time to understand the characteristics of the players, but I would like him to stay with us,” De Zerbi said. “He’s a very young, very good player. Good guy. It’s not so easy and so fast to find a young player of that level.”

But although there were positive discussions between Bergvall and Spurs over a development plan, he was still open to leaving. He remained professional throughout, and De Zerbi was impressed by his attitude. He played a lot in pre-season while newcomer Fernandes was struggling with a calf injury and Rodrigo Bentancur had an extended summer break after playing for Uruguay at the World Cup (Sweden actually went a round further than the South Americans). He was arguably Spurs’ most impressive performer and showed signs of a promising partnership with Tonali.

Before the opening game of the season against Brentford, De Zerbi said, “I think now (Bergvall) wants to stay and we have no problem.” The Swede was named to start that day in west London but struggled and was substituted at half-time in a 3-0 defeat. De Zerbi later admitted he knew Bergvall “in this type of game could suffer more than Bentancur”.

Bergvall struggled in Tottenham’s opening-weekend defeat at Brentford (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

“He already knows he didn’t play a great game,” De Zerbi told reporters before the Carabao Cup tie against Charlton Athletic a few days later. “But this game for Bergvall, Gray, Mathys Tel, also Mikey Moore, is the right step to become better and better. Because you want the young players on the pitch, yes, but the young players, they have not experience. What is their experience? To explain the experience, you have to pass through this day and these types of games. You have to lose or be stronger the next time you play one game like Brentford. It’s a normal step.”

De Zerbi’s comments were viewed as an attempt to protect Bergvall and Spurs’ other young talents, but he does have experience. He has played over 50 times in the Premier League and made seven appearances, including five starts, in the Champions League last season. Sweden head coach Graham Potter trusted him to play in all four of their games at the World Cup, starting the round of 32 loss to France.

Bergvall’s task now is to convince De Zerbi he deserves more opportunities in a Tottenham shirt, but it is going to be difficult with the presence of new £185million duo Tonali and Fernandes in midfield, especially with no European football this season after a 17th-place finish in May. Bentancur, Gallagher, Gray and James Maddison are fighting for minutes there, too.

He performed well in the 5-1 cup win against Championship visitors Charlton but was an unused substitute against Newcastle in the league three days later, along with Gallagher. De Zerbi preferred to pair Bentancur and Tonali together at the base of midfield in that one, with Fernandes as the No 10. When Newcastle took the lead midway through the second half, De Zerbi switched formation to pair substitute Dominic Solanke up front with new forward Omar Marmoush.

In his press conference before this weekend’s trip to Forest, De Zerbi spoke openly about what happened with Bergvall over the summer.

“After 10 days in the pre-season, Lucas came, and his agent as well went to (sporting director) Johan Lange to say, ‘Lucas is happy to stay’, and Lucas showed me he wanted to stay,” De Zerbi said. “I would like to play with him; I would like to put the focus on him, because he is another big, big in terms of the potential of the player. He is another big player.”

Hopefully for Bergvall, with a bit of patience, De Zerbi can help unlock his full potential. But if he does not feature again today, perhaps he might wonder how things might have turned out had he joined Forest or Newcastle this summer.

Additional reporting: Paul Taylor, Chris Waugh, Elias Burke

Just when you thought you’d lost your capacity to be amazed by La Masia, Barcelona’s youth academy comes along with another exciting prospect.

The latest to establish himself at La Liga’s champions is Xavi Espart, a versatile 19-year-old who has worked himself into Hansi Flick’s plans at full-back, despite initially being trained as a midfielder.

Espart was part of the same youth teams as Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Marc Bernal growing up, but he has had to wait a little longer than them for a chance to impose himself on the senior squad.

He made his Barcelona debut off the bench in a Champions League round-of-16 first-leg at Newcastle last season and caught the eye despite only being on the pitch for about nine minutes. Five days later, he started Barca’s home La Liga match against Sevilla and impressed again.

As Barca successfully defended their Spanish league title last term, Espart remained in Flick’s plans. All but one of the seven appearances he made in all competitions were at right-back.

Picking up where he left off this pre-season — after also starring in midfield in Spain’s Under-19 European Championship victory this summer — he has been ever-present in this campaign, having moved position again.

Flick has picked Espart at left-back for each of Barca’s opening three matches of the new season — and the youngster has grabbed that chance with both hands, putting in exciting displays and picking up two assists.

It has created one of those good problems for German boss Flick, whose other options for the position include Joao Cancelo (who returned to Barcelona on a permanent transfer on August 20) and Alejandro Balde (who ended up staying despite Manchester United interest).

Espart made his Barcelona debut in the Champions League against Newcastle last season (Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Espart, from Vilassar de Mar, a small town about 20 minutes up the coast from Barcelona, arrived at La Masia in 2015, aged eight. He was often compared to Xavi (who was also his idol) because of his playing style.

That was until Flick arrived at Barcelona and said he reminded him of Philipp Lahm.

“When I watch him play, I really like the confidence he shows on the ball,” the 61-year-old said at a press conference last March. “He reminds me of Lahm, who can play as a No 6 or a No 2. I like watching him both with and without the ball.”

Espart’s start at Barca, and Flick’s words about him, mirror his development at the club. He often alternated positions at the academy, too, partly due to other talents emerging ahead of him and the challenges that posed.

Marc Serra, Barcelona’s seven-a-side football coordinator at the time, alongside academy senior figures Aureli Altimira and Jordi Roura, approved Espart’s signing.

“He was the typical player we were looking for,” Roura tells The Athletic.

“He was technically very good, had a good understanding of the game, thought quickly and anticipated the play. But not everyone was convinced he’d make it. He wasn’t a Lamine Yamal, so to speak.”

Espart playing for Barcelona’s under-19s in November of last year (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Up until under-14 level Espart had been playing as a No 6. But then his coach, Pol Planas, moved Bernal from attacking midfield into a holding midfield position, and as a result Espart lost some of his prominence.

It was during the next season, at under-15 level, when Espart began to play more regularly as a full-back, alternating between that position and his old midfield spot.

With coaches feeling his development was being hampered, Sergi Mila — La Masia’s 11-a-side football coordinator — then recommended to Espart’s coach, Ivan Carrasco, that he play him at right-back. Espart settled into the role and began to really take off.

Even now, many within the club still believe that Espart will eventually end up in midfield, despite the path being very congested. Frenkie de Jong is 29 and the recently arrived Rodri is 30, while Pedri and Fermin Lopez are 23, Gavi is 22, and Bernal is 19.

But the switch did bring the best out of him. He gained a lot of confidence. Until then he had been considered a rather introverted character, someone who kept a low profile. He began to open up more as his football really came into its own.

By under-17 and under-18 level, Espart had fully established himself in Barca’s youth teams and started to receive call-ups to Spain’s youth sides — where he alternated between midfield and full-back.

At Barca, Espart has had to watch on while his former team-mates have been propelled to stardom. Yamal made his debut aged 15 in April 2023. Cubarsi followed in January 2024, aged 16. Bernal broke through the following August at 17, before rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.

His journey has not been the easiest, nor did he seem like a player touched by a magic wand when coming through. But he didn’t lose heart and kept persevering, hoping that his moment would eventually arrive. He has learned resilience on the way.

This summer, aware that Flick had already shown him faith, Espart took pre-season training very seriously, knowing also that there would be a greater opportunity to impress given several of the senior squad would be late in returning from World Cup duty with Spain.

What comes next? There is a long way to go for any 19-year-old footballer hoping to progress in the game, let alone one seeking a career at a top club like Barcelona.

But what we have seen already suggests they have unearthed another local gem in Espart, and fans are revelling in it.