Chris Wood is a man on a mission and he’s started the 2024/25 campaign where he left off for Nottingham Forest.
Wood has gone full circle when it comes to his rapport with the fan base at the City Ground.
He signed on loan in January 2023 to a backdrop of criticism given that he was on a big wage and was going to cost an obligatory fee of £15 million.
Wood has proved his critics wrong though. Since Nuno Espirito Santo has come to the club he’s enjoyed being the primary striker and he’s now found the way to goal.
The 32-year-old scored again on Saturday as Forest drew 1-1 with Wolves. He’s now found the net on 14 occasions under the Portuguese boss and looks like money well spent.
What Chris Wood did that left Nuno Espirito Santo stunned
Some news has come to light from The Athletic that highlights the sort of man that Wood is.
The Olympics took centre stage in the sporting world in August and Wood was handed the chance to play for New Zealand in the football tournament.
However, Wood rejected those advances from the national team and instead prioritised getting fit for another campaign at Forest.
Espirito Santo told The Athletic: “I was aware this was the opportunity for him to be involved in the biggest sports event in the world – the Olympics.
“That shows the commitment he has to us. It’s not just about his goals, his work for the team is amazing.”
Wood is now most important player at Forest
Okay, so players like Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Elliot Anderson are all technically better than Wood – but they’re not as important.
Having tried – and failed – to sign a striker, Wood will now need to remain on the goal trail and with that in mind, he’s become desperately important.
Taiwo Awoniyi looks out of form badly and that also makes Wood more important. He’s going to be the number one talisman and hopefully, he can keep producing the goods.
The fact that Wood declined a chance to play at the Olympics, speaks volumes of the man. It suggests that every player at Forest is pulling together and clearly Espirito Santo respected his decision.
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