Further details emerge on Nottingham Forest’s quest to tie 24-year-old down to new contract

Championship side Nottingham Forest have already started contract negotiations to tie key midfielder Ryan Yates down to a new deal at the City Ground, as per a report from Nottinghamshire Live.

The 24-year-old has been an integral part of Steve Cooper’s plans this season, making a reasonably impressive 31 league appearances despite facing competition from the likes of James Garner and Jack Colback in the middle of the park.

He may have come off the bench in two of their last three league games – but Yates is viewed as a crucial player in the East Midlands and this is seemingly why they have moved quickly to make his future a lot clearer with his existing deal expiring in the summer of 2023.

Not only has he been crucial in providing a shield in front of the likes of Scott McKenna, Steve Cook and Joe Worrall – but he has also contributed going forward with four second-tier goals to his name so far this term.

As per Nottinghamshire Live, his importance to the team makes him a valuable asset and another possible reason as to why the club’s hierarchy have made this contract move is because he’s a prime example of the success of the Midlands outfit’s academy.

Brennan Johnson, Alex Mighten and Joe Worrall have also graduated through the club’s youth system before going on to make a positive impact on the first team, with the latter two already being tied down to long-term deals at the City Ground.

The Verdict:

Fair play to the midfielder for turning his season around – because he was the subject of real criticism alongside Colback in the early stages of the 2021/22 season under Chris Hughton – and he could have easily folded because of that.

However, he has fought back well and given Cooper a real selection headache, something