Former Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Jermaine Jenas believes Oliver Glasner’s outspoken ways at Crystal Palace might have harmed his job prospects.
And he suggested that might be why the Austrian has ended up at Forest.
Despite that, Jenas praised Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis for moving quickly to recruit Glasner, although he has sympathy that it cost previous manager Vítor Pereira his job.
Massive coup for Forest
During an exclusive sit-down interview with 10bet, Jenas said of Glasner’s appointment at the City Ground: “From a Forest point of view, it’s massive. Absolutely massive.
“I don’t think it’s what Glasner envisaged a while ago, but at the same time, you look at [Enzo] Maresca, who walked away from a situation midway through the season and landed on his feet probably because of his relationship with Manchester City.
“Glasner, instead of walking away when he was throwing his toys out the pram in January, when he was very outspoken, and I think it has backfired on him a little bit.
“A lot of owners have looked at him and thought he’s a bit lively – more lively than we thought.
“He’s a great manager, probably going down in history as Palace’s greatest ever on the basis of what he won.”
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Glasner a top manager
Jenas continued: “It’s brilliant for Forest – he’s a top manager.
“As long as he gets what he wants in terms of the players they sign, it’s fantastic.
“But you’ve also arguably got two very volatile people there at the top of the tree for Forest, with the owner and Glasner going in there.
“I’m delighted with it, though I think it’s harsh on Pereira, if I’m honest with you.”
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Pereira’s costly tactical errors
When asked if he thought Pereira’s sacking was justified, Jenas added: “He didn’t do much wrong, did he?
“He came in with the mandate to keep them in the league, and he kept them in the league.
“Admittedly, he got it quite drastically wrong in the second leg [of the Europa League semi-final] against Aston Villa from a tactical point of view, which you live or die by.
“But I don’t think this was a situation where the owner looked at him and said, ‘You’re not good enough.’
“I think he just saw an opportunity with Glasner. He looked at Glasner and thought, ‘You’re a better option – and if I can get you, I’ll get you.’
“That’s just how Marinakis works. He doesn’t really care.
“He just thinks, ‘I’ve got some money to spend, I can access this man and I’m going to take him.’ So you’re gone, and that’s it.”
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