Chris Wood has been in red-hot form for Nottingham Forest this season, continuing where he left off in 2023/24.
The striker signed for Forest for £15 million, and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe confessed that he didn’t want to sell Wood.
Forest incorporated a condition in a loan agreement to recruit the striker that said the move would become permanent after three starts. It’s fair to say that supporters were outraged, believing the odds were far too high.
However, Wood has not been worried by any early doubts from the fan base. Last season, he scored 15 goals in all competitions, helping Forest stay in the Premier League.
This season, he has also picked up where he left off. Last Saturday, Wood scored his fourth goal of the season in a Premier League draw against Chelsea, earning plaudits from Ally McCoist.
Wood scored another goal for New Zealand in a game against Tahiti over the weekend, and he is enjoying life under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood discusses working with Nuno Espirito Santo.
It has lately been claimed that Forest will offer Wood a new contract. He will be a free agent in the summer, and the Reds aren’t about to let him walk away for nothing just yet.
Wood, on the other hand, will be 33 years old in December and could be forgiven for considering what comes next after his professional football career is over.
The in-form talisman has relished life under Espirito Santo on Trentside, and he has revealed what he believes the Forest manager is so good at that has helped him at the City Ground.
He told The New Zealand Herald, “It’s the manager’s faith.” Everyone enjoys having faith in them; this is when players perform their best on the field.
“I wouldn’t say he took a chance on me, but he did put me in at first, which worked out nicely for both of us.
“From now on, it’s just about repaying his faith in me. I’d like to think we have a nice working relationship. He’s an excellent manager that works hard and has done a terrific job for me thus far. Long may it continue.”
Wood will undoubtedly sign a new contract with Forest.
It’s nice to hear that Forest are considering a new contract for Wood, which would be well-deserved by the club’s major talisman.
After injured his groin after a few games in 2023, it was expected that he wouldn’t play much last season, but that was far from the case.
He was the club’s leading scorer last season, and Espirito Santo has made it clear that he prefers him to Taiwo Awoniyi since joining in December.
Forest are still striving to establish themselves as a Premier League team, so it’s critical that the finest players remain at the City Ground.
Allowing Wood to go at the conclusion of the season would be a mistake at this point, and extending his contract is a no-brainer.
