Ranking the six best Nottingham Forest players of 2025, £30m star makes the cut

Add as preferred source on Google

As 2025 draws to a conclusion, Nottingham Forest can look back on a very positive year.

Under the influence of Nuno Espirito Santo, Forest secured European football for the first time in 30 years, with the Europa League campaign going well thus far.

Now, Sean Dyche has taken over after a failed Ange Postecoglou spell that saw Forest fail to win a game, and the former Reds youth prospect has steadied the ship.

Although a relegation battle wasn’t something that Forest fans imagined this season, across the whole calendar year, there have certainly been a lot of positives.

Here at Nottingham Forest News, we took a look at the top six players across the calendar year of 2025…

Ranking the top six Nottingham Forest players during 2025

6. Ibrahim Sangare

A late entrant into the top six based on how utterly brilliant he has been since the 2025/26 campaign got underway.

Sangare was hailed by Theo Walcott for his performance against Tottenham recently, and he will now hope to continue his fine form into the second half of the campaign when he returns from the African Cup of Nations.

5. Nikola Milenkovic

It’s hard not to include the man who won the official Player of the Year accolade for his efforts during the 2024/25 campaign, with his performances once again being good this season too.

Milenkovic is very much captain material at Forest and alongside Murillo, the Reds will feel they have one of the best central defensive partnerships in the whole division.

4. Matz Sels

The man who won the Golden Glove accolade last season has to be included, and he showcased just how much of a steal he’s proved at £4 million across 2025.

His performances haven’t been quite as good in the first half of 2025/26, but under Sean Dyche, there has been some evidence that he can get back to his best.

3. Chris Wood

Wood bagged 20 goals last season for the first time in his career as a Premier League striker, and he’s been sorely missed, having been injured in October.

Although the player is now 34, his importance to the Forest team over the last year can not be understated, and hopefully, he can get back on the pitch in 2026.

2. Murillo

Probably considered as Forest’s best player overall, has to be in contention to win this accolade with his performances making a mockery of his £10.6 million transfer fee.

Murillo has recently been missed through a hamstring problem and then with a virus, and given that Forest’s results were sporadic in his absence, his importance can’t be stressed enough.

1. Elliot Anderson

Anderson has been heavily linked with a move away from Forest and not only has Anderson been magnificent for Forest in 2025, but he’s also become a regular for England.

The youngster is one of the most sought-after players in the Premier League right now and he’s the man who gets our vote as the club’s player of the year for 2025.