The three most improved Nottingham Forest players of 2025, player unfancied by Steve Cooper stars

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Nottingham Forest are now in their fourth season as a Premier League club, as Sean Dyche helps the club establish itself even further at the top level.

The 2025/26 campaign hasn’t exactly gone according to plan for the Reds, with a battle against survival on the cards for the second half of the campaign.

With the curtain coming down on 2025, there is a chance to look back at some very fond memories, however, with Forest qualifying for the Europa League last season.

There have been a number of top performers in the calendar year of 2025 and as the year draws to a close, we look at the three most improved players across the last 12 months.

• READ MORE: Sean Dyche delivers verdict on Ola Aina

The three most improved Nottingham Forest players in 2025

3. Matz Sels

Sels gets in this compilation purely for his form last season, when he secured enough clean sheets to enjoy a share of the Golden Glove.

The Belgian earned international recognition for his efforts as Forest finished seventh in the Premier League to qualify for European football this season.

Sels became firmly established as the number one goalkeeper at Forest in 2025 and his form in 2024/25 proved that he’s one of the best stoppers in the Premier League.

2. Ibrahim Sangare

Some supporters simply love to knock Sangare, but with each passing performance, that notion looks incredibly foolish indeed.

Sangare was recently praised for his Forest form, and even stretching back into the second half of last season, the Ivorian has been a big player for the Reds.

The £30 million price tag has led to some fans questioning his value for money, but given what he’s achieved in 2025, he’s vastly improved from 12 months ago.

1. Neco Williams

Neco WilliamsIt’s quite remarkable to think that during Steve Cooper’s tenure in the Premier League during 2022/23, he considered Williams as the second choice at right-back.

Serge Aurier was often called upon by Cooper and it wasn’t really until the end of the season that he managed to showcase some good form in the Forest team.

Now, Williams has developed into a superb left-back for Forest and during last season and so far this season, he’s developed into one of the division’s top defenders.