Nottingham Forest are expected to play a three-man defence this season.
The system is Oliver Glasner’s go-to. That was the case at Eintracht Frankfurt and Crystal Palace. And it remains the case now. The Tricky Trees have the personnel to play the formation.
Ola Aina and Neco Williams are handy wing-back options, while Xaver Schlager is a solid partner for Ibrahim Sangare in the middle of the park. Of course, Forest do remain in the market for a central midfielder to replace Elliot Anderson.
In Nikola Milenkovic, Morato, Murillo and Jair Cunha, Glasner has centre-back options. Morato, though, has been linked with a move away this summer. However, after a brief brush with relegation, Forest need quality rather than quantity at the back. It’s why they are closing in on the signing of Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP.
In this article, we’ll cover:
How Glasner used his centre-backs at Selhurst Park
In truth, Diomande’s Premier League move is well overdue. The Ivorian’s skillset is perfectly suited to the top flight. Crucially, he’s a centre-back who will suit Glasner and his three-man demands. And he could prove a £34m bargain.
Under Glasner, Crystal Palace had the sixth-lowest possession average (45.5%) in the Premier League last season. They sought to soak up pressure and hit teams on the counter. Granted, they were the only team that failed to score a counter-attacking goal in the division. But it wasn’t for want of trying. Palace ranked seventh for shots following a counter attack (37).
And the centre-backs were vital to these rapid transitions. Palace’s 2,079 attempted long balls was the third-most in the Premier League last season. Of Palace outfielders, defenders Chris Richards (174) and Maxence Lacroix (171) ranked first and second, respectively. Marc Guehi (127) cracked the top five despite leaving in January.
Diomande the distribution machine
Diomande should enable Glasner to implement a similar approach at the City Ground. The 22-year-old ranked fourth for passes per 90 minutes (73.9) of Sporting players to register at least 1,000 minutes of Primeira Liga action last season. What’s more, a 93.1% pass accuracy was the second best in the division.
Admittedly, this is hardly a shock. Sporting finished the season second for possession (61.6%). They were expected to dominate proceedings, and did so well. And Diomande was evidently vital to their domestic dominance.
Crucial was the range of passing. This is an area that goes some way to explaining Forest’s move for the youngster. After all, Diomande completed 3.4 long balls per 90 in the Primeira Liga last season. Of the 158 outfield players to attempt at least 50 long balls, Diomande’s long ball accuracy of 67.1% was the fifth best in the 2025/26 Primeira Liga campaign.
Combined with his experience in both a four-man and three-man defence, it’s a shock that Nottingham Forest have such an easy run at the Ivory Coast international.
Defensive work
Off the ball, Diomande isn’t exactly one to dive into challenges to win possession. Indeed, he averaged just 0.8 tackles per 90 last season. Rather, Diomande has a knack for being in the right place at the right to alleviate pressure on his side’s goal. The centre-back managed 0.9 interceptions and 4.1 clearances per 90 in 2025/26.
His 75 ball recoveries ranked 142nd in the division. Considering Diomande featured in exactly 50% of league games last season, that’s a modest haul. Aerially, there is perhaps work to be done. Diomande returned a 57.4% aerial success rate in Portugal’s top tier last term, a drop on the 65% the previous season.
Saying that, in all likelihood, Diomande will be playing alongside Milenkovic and Murillo in a three-man backline. The towering Serb is expected to deal with the bulk of the aerial threats with Diomande and Murillo helping mop up behind Milenkovic, whose lack of pace can be exposed.
Glasner’s wanted Diomande for a while
What’s more, the pursuit of Diomande is a clear indication that the Forest hierarchy are really backing Glasner. They can ill-afford a repeat of last season’s managerial debacle, where Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche and Vitor Pereira all manned the City Ground helm.
Diomande was a player that Glasner wanted while he was at Palace. He’s a centre-back the Austrian feels can play a vital role. Injuries did ultimately hinder Diomande’s consistency last season. However, in a Forest side that will be playing one game per week, it’s an area that can be managed accordingly.
Either way, Nottingham Forest have pulled off a coup in signing Diomande. He’s a player who as previously been courted by Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid. The centre-back is one who has the tools to go to the very top. He should slot in seamlessly under Glasner in the Midlands.