Nottingham Forest will likely be hoping that the end to the upcoming Premier League season doesn’t come down to the wire as it did in the last campaign.
The Nottinghamshire based side finished in 17th position, just one place and six points above the relegation zone, that saw all three sides promoted from the Championship returned to the second tier.
Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo took over the club half way through the season replacing their promotion winning boss Steve Cooper. Meaning this will be the first opportunity to make his mark on the squad with a pre-season and a full summer transfer window.
As such, the club have added Elliot Anderson, Marko Stamenic, Carlos Miguel and Eric da Silva Moreira to their squad, with Moussa Niakhate, Orel Mangala and Remo Freuler departing as well as several free agents.
The club will also be looking to tie down several of their star players including, midfielder Ryan Yates, who according to Football Insider is in talks over a new deal at the club.
The player’s contract is due to expire in a year’s time, but the club are eager to extend his stay at the City Ground.
Who is Ryan Yates?
A boyhood Forest fan and academy graduate, Yates has been with the club since 2005, where he joined at the age of just seven years old. He has over 200 appearances for the first team after progressing his way to the senior set up and was a key part of their promotion to the Premier League alongside the likes of Brennan Johnson.
Yates has also enjoyed several loan spells including; Barrow, Shrewsbury Town, Scunthorpe United and most interestingly a short spell at bitter rivals Notts County.
He appeared 29 times for the club whose stadium is just a stone’s throw away, scoring six goals and providing three assists.
Nottingham Forest Academy at its best
Recent years have seen a huge overhaul of the playing staff at Nottingham Forest as they strive for a better and better finish in the Premier League. Their owner has been vocal in his pursuit of glory and willingness to spend big to compete with their big spending competitors.
This spending landed them in trouble, resulting in a four-point deduction last season.
However, at the core of this historic and former European winning club is an academy that has produced some wonderful players throughout its history. This has often been forgotten as big money moves are favoured over offering a clear pathway to the first team, and yet somehow Yates has not only done so but also maintained his spot.
Fellow graduate Brennan Johnson secured a move to Tottenham Hotspur but Yates has remained, battling with an increasingly large array of talents coming in to help his side battle for Premier League survival.
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