“I like the look of this a lot” – Nottingham Forest aim to secure player agreement: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Nottingham Forest want to tie Ryan Yates down to a new contract and have already opened negotiations to extend his stay at the City Ground, as per a report from Nottinghamshire Live.

The midfielder’s current deal in the East Midlands only runs on until 2023 as things stand, bad news for the Reds with the 24-year-old establishing himself as a key player under Steve Cooper despite being the subject of criticism for his performances in the early stages of the campaign.

Making 31 league appearances and scoring four goals in the process, he has been a valuable contributor both going forward and back for Forest and with that, the club’s hierarchy have decided to act now to secure his future.

This stance from the second-tier side was first reported by The Sun yesterday morning, with the 24-year-old being seen as a shining example of the academy’s success in the Midlands.

Looking at this from an outsider’s point of view though, is this a good decision by Cooper’s men to open negotiations? Slightly premature?

We asked three of our writers at Football League World to deliver their verdicts.

Billy Mulley

I like the look of this a lot.

Ryan Yates’ desire and fight in a Nottingham Forest shirt has helped win over the support in recent months.

He had a difficult year last time out and often found himself at the end of criticism, however, his consistent displays, ability to help dominate the midfield and continued work rate now sees him as an important player under Steve Cooper.

Technically speaking, he appears to be