Picking a Nottingham Forest player of the year for 2024 is no easy task given there are a few worthy contenders for the accolade.
The Reds were fighting against relegation in the second half of last season but came through to secure a third successive year of Premier League football. This time around, they are looking upwards rather than over their shoulders.
Some of their summer signings have played key roles in establishing that upward trajectory. Nikola Milenkovic, for example, has made a huge difference at the back and is arguably Forest’s player of the season so far.
But improvements are not down to newcomers alone. And taking into account the year as a whole, cases can be made for each of Murillo, Morgan Gibb-White and Callum Hudson-Odoi to be pick of the Forest players for 2024. All three were integral in securing survival and have done their bit in helping to push Nuno Espirito Santo’s side up the table this term.
Murillo is a standout talent. Gibbs-White is the team’s talisman. And Hudson-Odoi has long since proved to be a bargain signing.
But Chris Wood’s goals, from the back end of last season through to the beginning of this campaign, have been vital. This has been a vintage year for the front man.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Premier League
Not so long ago, the addition of the New Zealand international was being questioned by fans. He scored one goal for the club in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign while still on loan from Newcastle United - albeit it was an important one, clinching a 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
Since the arrival of Nuno as head coach, however, Wood has thrived. Theirs is a match made in heaven. The Portuguese knows how to get the best out of the front man, and it is paying dividends on the pitch.
Since January, Wood has bagged 17 goals in the Garibaldi. He has nine from 14 Premier League games this term. He has been in superb form.
Forest do have a number of other players capable of chipping in with goals - including Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi and indeed Murillo - but Wood is their main man. He has popped up with some vital strikes and sealed some big points. It will be only a matter of time before he becomes the club’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League, having drawn level with Bryan Roy on 24 courtesy of last weekend’s penalty against Ipswich Town.
It is not just about his work at the top end of the pitch, either. Who can forget his goal-saving block against West Ham United last month?
The sooner Forest get him tied down to a new contract, the better. It will be very well deserved when pen does get put to paper - and the signs are promising on getting fresh terms over the line.
Nuno has backed the 32-year-old to keep going for a long time yet. It is hard to argue otherwise. Whenever a new contract is forthcoming, the Reds will hope the front man can have a few more years like 2024.
Who would be your Forest player of the year for 2024? Click HERE to have your say