'It’s nice that I’ve done well, but there’s a lot more that I would like to achieve': Nottingham Forest star Chris Wood sets lofty targets for remainder of season

NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND - AUGUST 31: Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest celebrates scoring his team's first goal with team mate Callum Hudson-Odoi during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at City Ground on August 31, 2024 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Wood and Hudson-Odoi celebrate (Image credit: Getty Images)

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood has been on fire in the Premier League this season, and the New Zealander doesn't look like slowing down anytime soon.

Having already hit 12 Premier League goals in 2024/25, Wood is sixth in the Golden Boot race and comfortably on course to break his best goalscoring season in the top flight. His record currently stands at 14, achieved with Nottingham Forest in 2023/24 and Burnley in 2019/20.

Things have clearly clicked while working under Nuno Espirito Santo, with the Portuguese boss helping to bring the best out of the 33-year-old. He highlights the confidence the manager places in him has certainly helped, with regular starts also contributing to his fine form.

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood still has high targets this season

Chris Wood Nottingham Forest striker celebrates scoring in the Premier League

Wood has been flying for Forest this term (Image credit: Getty Images)

"It’s tough to put it down to one thing," Wood exclusively tells FourFourTwo. "It’s mostly been down to playing week in, week out, and the belief that the manager instils in me.

"It’s nice being able to play under a manager like Nuno: having a manager that backs you gives you big belief. We were very solid for the first 10 games of this season and did extremely well as a team, which was great – we started off fantastically. It’s nice that I’ve done well, too, but there’s a lot more that I would like to achieve."

Chris Wood Nottingham Forest players celebrate with the striker in the Premier League

Wood and his Forest team-mates aren't letting up (Image credit: Getty Images)

With Wood in top form, Nottingham Forest find themselves surprisingly in the Champions League spots after the halfway point in the season. Victory against Liverpool on Tuesday night at the City Ground could even set them up for a title challenge, drawing them to within three points of the Reds.

Such strong performances hasn't surprised the players at Nottingham Forest, however, with the squad confident they would be a lot more competitive in 2024/25.

"On paper, our squad’s really good, and I think it was last season as well – we just didn’t bring out the best in ourselves, as we were fighting against relegation," Wood explains.

"It’s always tough down the bottom, trying to find a result, whereas we started off very well this season and I believe that led to confidence."

While a title challenge still seems a long way off, there's certainly a strong possibility that Forest will be playing Champions League football next term - especially if the Premier League earns an additional spot in the competition. Wood has previously played in Europe twice in the past - in the Europa League for Birmingham and Burnley - but never Europe's premier competition.

Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future. 

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