The likes of Chris Wood and Anthony Elanga have earned the plaudits, but there’s another Nottingham Forest attacker who has gone under the radar this season.
Wood has been hailed for his goalscoring exploits, meanwhile, wingers Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi have been lauded for their quality in the final third.
One player who arguably doesn’t receive the full credit he deserves, though, is Jota Silva.
Despite impressing whenever he’s on the pitch, Silva has struggled for gametime under Nuno Espirito Santo this season, even recently being left out of the squad for the win against Tottenham.
With the Portuguese attacker seemingly not fancied by Nuno, the Forest boss may want to take a look at the stats before leaving the 25-year-old out again.
Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images
Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images
Jota Silva’s impressive Premier League stats
Hudson-Odoi and Elanga’s form on the wings has meant Jota has had to impress from the bench, with the 25-year-old managing to provide some crucial late goals.
The Portuguese international, however, won’t want to be a super sub forever and could leave Forest if that situation doesn’t change, with Sporting CP interested in Silva.
With this in mind, Espirito Santo would be wise to hand Silva more minutes, especially due to the fact that he ranks as the Premier League’s best in certain metrics.
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That is because the former Vitória Guimarães man actually ranks above the likes of Bukayo Saka and Mohamed Salah in terms of expected assists per 100 passes.
🏴 Premier League Players : xA per 100 passes
🥇 Jota Silva (Nottingham Forest, 25) — 1.29
🥈 B. Saka (Arsenal, 23) — 1.22
🥉 Y. Minteh (Brighton, 20) — 1.16
🏅 J. Vardy (Leicester City, 38) — 1.04
🏅 J. Bowen (West Ham, 28) — 1.01
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Jota’s limited minutes and Forest’s lack of possession play a huge part in those numbers, but it shouldn’t be underestimated, ranking amongst those star-studded names.
What is Jota’s future at Nottingham Forest
The summer transfer window will likely bring a big decision for Jota’s camp: does he stay and fight for his place? Or does he go elsewhere in search of more minutes?
Forest’s expected European qualification will bring more opportunities for the Portuguese next season, with Espirito Santo having to manage his squad playing twice a week.
24/25 stats Apps Goals Assists Minutes played
Jota Silva 34 4 3 1,127
Stats correct as of 07/05/2025
With this in mind, it would be sensible for Forest to keep Jota around next season as he would provide some much-needed attacking depth – something that will no doubt be huge in Europe.