Glasner on Savona set-back, making City Ground 'a fortress' and transfers

Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League opener against Leeds United at the City Ground (kick-off 15:00 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference: Ryan Yates and Nicolo Savona have been ruled out but he will still have the pick of "23 other fit on-field players" for his matchday squad. On Savona's road to recovery after undergoing surgery in March: "We did think he would be further on than he is right now. He had a minor set-back with his knee, so he is back working in the gym again." The defender should be back on grass in a couple of weeks. Glasner is "very ready" to take charge of his first competitive match as head coach: "The players are fit and looking good. We've changed a few things in the way we want to play but the players have adapted really well. We aren't at 100% right now, it just isn't possible, but we feel we are on a good track." On what he is expecting "very good" Leeds United to bring: "They play very physically, they are top at set pieces, they were second in running distance and they won the most balls under pressure last season." The two pre-season friendlies at home have shown the fans' "passion and support" for the team. Glasner added: "I've learned that fans don't expect you to win every single game, but they do expect you to fight for every single ball. If we do that, the City Ground will be our fortress." Glasner is still expecting one or two more incomings before the end of the transfer window. He explained: "I'm very confident we will get in two more high-quality players. We won't do business just to add numbers. We already know which players we want to bring in, now it is about getting the deals done. We do have other options with the same profile, though, if those deals can't be done." Glasner said they will be of a similar profile to Xaver Schlager and Ousmane Diomande, explaining he wants two players with "Champions League experience and many caps for their countries that have played at the highest level". European football chat "makes no sense" at the moment, with Glasner adding: "It also doesn't align with how I am as a person. I'm always very humble, I'm not a loud speaker, and I'm fine with admitting every team is doing a good job at being ambitious and so far we are the team spending the least." In his opinion, the fans will be "realistic with their expectations as long as they are being told the truth" - and, importantly, he added that his team do have "big goals" for the next few seasons. Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Nottingham Forest v Leeds United from 15:00 BST Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news Got a question about Forest? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts [BBC]