Striker Chris Wood says he is relaxed about his Nottingham Forest contract situation and is simply focused on doing his job on the pitch.
The 32-year-old has been in fine form for the Reds this season and the club are keen to tie him down to fresh terms. He is one of several players whose deals are due to expire in the summer and who would be in line to walk away as free agents as things stand.
Forest have been in talks with Wood about extending his stay at the City Ground, as is also the case with defender Ola Aina. But although he is yet to put pen to paper, the front man has made it clear he is driven to keep doing the business for as long as he can.”Whenever it happens, it happens. It’s not something I can control or worry about,” Wood told the BBC when asked about the possibility of a new contract.
“I can’t let it affect me. These things take time and I just have to worry about scoring goals, winning games and doing well for this club.
“I still have ambitions and drive to play long into my 30s. It’s how you take care of your body and how you take care of nutrition off the pitch, it’s huge. I want to play for as long as I can.”
Wood has bagged eight goals for the Reds so far this season and has been first-choice up front for head coach Nuno Espirito Santo. He is one behind Bryan Roy (24) in the club’s list of all-time Premier League top scorers.Nuno has got the best out of the New Zealand international, whose loan from Newcastle United turned permanent in the summer of 2023. And in a positive sign that Wood will be happy to commit to Forest, he talks glowingly about his relationship with the Portuguese.”It’s worked well so far and hopefully there’s a lot more to come for both of us,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of great managers over my career and it’s nice to have another one to add to the group.
“He came in and gave me the confidence to start, he put me in his first team and it’s spiralled from there. I feel I can have an open and honest conversation with him. There’s that mutual respect there, and you don’t always get that.
“He’s a down to earth man, loves having that team ethic. He wants to trust everyone and does until you break that trust. That’s a great way of looking at life.”
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