Oliver Glasner
Age
51
Trophies
3
Annual Salary
£3M
Net Worth
$5M
Clubs Managed
5
Oliver Glasner Management Style
Glasner builds sides with a high defensive line, aggressive pressing and quick vertical play. He favours a 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-3, using wing-backs to stretch opposition defences and quick combination play through the lines. His teams are well-drilled defensively and take pride in making themselves difficult to play against, but attack with directness and creativity.
Biography
Early Life
Oliver Glasner was born on 14 August 1974 in Wels, Austria. He had a solid professional career as a central defender in Austria, spending the majority of his playing career at ASKÖ Pasching and Wolfsberg before retiring in 2005. His playing career instilled in him an appreciation for defensive organisation and collective discipline that became central to his managerial identity.
Managerial Career
Glasner rose through Austrian football as a manager at Wolfsberg and LASK before moving to German football with Wolfsburg. It was at Eintracht Frankfurt where he made his name — delivering the extraordinary feat of winning the UEFA Europa League in 2022, beating Barcelona along the way, with a squad that had no business competing with European football's elite. He then joined Crystal Palace in early 2024, keeping them in the Premier League before building them into a more consistent top-half side.
Philosophy
Glasner believes in creating a clear team identity and executing it with discipline. He does not rely on individual brilliance but rather on collective structure — his teams know exactly when to press, when to hold their shape and when to attack. He is known for his hands-on approach to training and his ability to quickly improve players who had been underperforming under previous managers.
Personal Life
Glasner is known as a private, professional manager who avoids the spotlight away from football. He is regarded by players as direct and clear in his communication, and has earned respect at each club for quickly building strong dressing room cultures. His personality is the opposite of a showman — he lets results speak and prefers substance over style in public.
Oliver Glasner Career Timeline
Began his managerial career at Wolfsberg AC in the Austrian Bundesliga, winning the ÖFB-Cup
Took charge of LASK and guided them back into the top flight and then into European football
Moved to the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg, finishing fourth in his debut season and qualifying for the Champions League play-offs
Joined Eintracht Frankfurt and immediately oversaw a remarkable European campaign
Won the UEFA Europa League, defeating Rangers on penalties in the final — Frankfurt's first European trophy since 1980
Appointed Crystal Palace head coach and kept them in the Premier League before building a more settled squad
Oliver Glasner Clubs Managed
Fun Facts
Glasner's Eintracht Frankfurt became the first German club to win the Europa League in 28 years.
He is one of only a handful of managers in Bundesliga history to guide a club to a Champions League qualification finish without a significant transfer budget.
Glasner grew up supporting Red Bull Salzburg and worked his way through almost every level of Austrian football before making it to the top.
He took Crystal Palace from a relegation battle in early 2024 to mid-table safety without spending significantly in the summer window.
Data last verified: April 2026
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