Nottingham Forest enjoyed a brilliant Premier League campaign in 2024/25, finishing in an unexpected seventh place.
The Reds have qualified for the UEFA Conference League next season and will be back in Europe for the first time in 30 years.
Nuno Espirito Santo has led Forest brilliantly since taking over from the respected Steve Cooper in December 2023.
Across last season, there were a number of top performers, with Nikola Milenkovic winning the Player of the Year award and Matz Sels getting a share of the Golden Glove.
Lee Westwood is a celebrity Forest fan and watching from afar, he’s claimed that one of Espirito Santo’s players really impressed him last season.
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Lee Westwood hails Nottingham Forest star Ryan Yates
The Forest captain wasn’t always considered a regular in the team under Espirito Santo last season, but when called upon, he never let anyone down.
Yates has other players ahead of him in the pecking order these days, but ultimately, he’s a firm fan favourite, with Westwood a huge fan of what he brings to the team.
He told TalkSPORT: “He’s brilliant, he sets the tone, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and he delivers every time he goes on the football pitch.
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“He’s great isn’t he, just sticks his foot in, he’s niggly and he just upsets them.”
Ryan Yates stats 2024/25
The 27-year-old will have enjoyed being part of the Forest team last season, and he’s grown every year as a Premier League footballer.
Yates is the sole survivor from the Wembley Play-Off final and clearly, he takes a lot of pride in playing for Forest.
The midfielder featured in most games during the last season, and although he was sometimes coming on from the bench, his morale never dipped.
Ryan Yates stats 2024/25 – Premier League Total
Appearances 35
Tackles 20
Fouls 53
Fouled 49
Shots Blocked 10
Yates will face another challenge for regular game time next season with Espirito Santo now having a plethora of midfield options to choose from.
The player has stood to challenges previously, however, and it looks likely that he will be raring and ready to go when it comes to leading Forest into Europe next season.