Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood was a man in red-hot form in the Premier League last season.
The hotshot performer scored 14 goals in the Premier League and managed to finish among the top scorers in the top flight.
Wood signed for Forest for £15 million in January 2023 and it ultimately took him a little while to get going.
With Taiwo Awoniyi struggling with a groin problem that needed surgery last season, it was vital that someone stood up. Enter Wood…
The New Zealand international was a man on a mission and scored some massive goals for Forest as relegation was averted.
Now, a former international teammate of Wood has delivered his verdict on the season which the Forest man has just experienced.
What Ryan Nelson has said about Forest striker Chris Wood
Nelson is a man who has played alongside Wood for the New Zealand national team and he’s a big fan of the Forest striker.
He told the NZ Herald: “To get double digits as a striker in the Premier League consistently is unbelievably rare. It just doesn’t happen. You are a certain echelon of player. It’s a credit to his perseverance, from when he started out, to be in this situation.
“What he is doing is one of the most difficult things in football. It’s the hardest league to score goals in, you’re up against the best defenders and goalkeepers in the world. I don’t think people realise what he has achieved and what he is still achieving.
“They (lesser teams) don’t generate a lot of chances – so it’s even more difficult. He gets important goals – they are needed. It’s not the fourth goal in a 4-0 win.
“You can see it in the British media; they really respect what he’s done. Strikers can do it for a couple of years but he has done it consistently and it’s not a fluke. Especially when your club is down the bottom. The pressure is on, it’s intense when you are down there and he delivered.”
Wood can make Forest impact again next season
It’s hard to imagine that Wood will be binned to the bench next season given just how influential he was during 2023/24.
Scoring 14 goals in the Premier League is no mean feat and he will fancy another season of success on Trentside.
Forest have some gaps to plug in their squad and as a result, a big-money striker might not be on the radar.
Nuno Espirito Santo could probably do with a younger striker coming in and taking some of the pressure away from Wood and Awoniyi.
Take nothing away from Wood’s exploits last season though and after a campaign of that nature, he deserves to keep his place at Forest.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
