Oliver Glasner has revealed that intense talks with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis were a key factor in his decision to join the club.

Glasner joined Forest at the start of the month, following the expiry of his contract with Crystal Palace.

Many were surprised by the move, but the Austrian has lifted the lid on the process behind his decision to join Forest, citing ‘intense talks’ with Marinakis as a key factor.

The Austrian is a serial winner. Having won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2021, glory followed him to south London, where he won an FA Cup, Community Shield and another European title - the Europa Conference League.

Glasner is keen to continue that success, and revealed that “intense talks” with Marinakis over the club’s ambition played an important role in his decision to join Forest, during an interview with club media.

"When I thought about the project and when I had quite intense talks with the owner,” he admitted, “Yes, it was one of the topics: [that Forest are] two-time European champions. I know it's long ago, but history stays forever, and the memories stay forever. 

“It's a very traditional, very historic club with a fantastic fan base and also a very ambitious owner who wants to make a step forward, and the squad looks very interesting, and yeah, those were the main reasons why I decided to join Nottingham Forest.”

He also discussed the importance of everyone buying into the project and being aligned on the same page.

Glasner did, at times, have falling-outs with supporters towards the end of his tenure at Selhurst Park, but he is keen to cultivate a healthy atmosphere from top to bottom at the City Ground.

Offering an analogy, the 51-year-old insisted that unity is needed if the club are to continue on a positive footing.

"I think that's the most important part,” he said. “But I think it's not just in football. When you have a relationship with your wife, it's important you go in the same direction, yeah? 

“Otherwise, it won't last for a long time, and it's the same when I talk to a club, to the leadership of the board of the club; it's important, and I think that's fundamental for success that everybody is aligned, that everybody has the same vision for the club. 

"And if I can see and feel this alignment, then it becomes interesting, and then of course it's important to fill this with life, yeah? To do the right steps. I think that Forest is already on a good run in a good period after getting promoted four years ago, with playing European football, playing the semi-final of the Europa League and ending seventh the season before last season. 

Glasner also discussed his plans for the squad. He insisted that the club will create success through consistency.

Pointing towards last season’s 16th-placed Premier League finish, Glasner insisted that success means very little if you quickly fall back to where you were.

"But I think what's important now is to get consistency, because [you do not want to finish] seventh and then 16th again,” he insisted. 

“So, being consistent as a team that plays in the top half of the league – and we know how competitive the Premier League is – so it's one thing to talk about it, and the other thing is to deliver, and that's what we will start now.

"[We want] to create a common way of playing, to create a common identity; how we want to deal with each other. I think that's important to create a spirit, a great togetherness within the team, within the club, together with the fans.

“I think that's very important that we have a great atmosphere and a relationship between everybody. If we can build this, I'm pretty sure that we will be successful."

Glasner is due to face the media in his first Nottingham Forest press conference on Thursday afternoon, and Round Table will be bringing you all of the latest.