"I’ll stay here as long as I can", those were the recent words of a player who is still at the top of his game at the age of 33. 

Nottingham Forest striker Lewis Grabban continues to prove his doubters wrong with his exploits on Trentside and has already hit good form this term despite a turbulent campaign so far for both he and his teammates.

With eight goals in his first 17 appearances of 2021/22, Grabban is firmly the club's highest scorer so far and has seemingly taken the transition from playing under Chris Hughton to Steve Cooper in his stride.

Indeed Grabban has been one of the main constants at the club during what has been an eventful four years for him at Forest, with failed play-off attempts, relegation battles and managerial casualties all having an affect on him along the way.

Now at the stage where he has hit the half a century mark for goals in a red shirt, the London born frontman is faced with a great degree of uncertainty over his future.

His current deal with the Reds is due to expire in the summer of next year, which begs the question as to whether Cooper sees him as a key component of his future plans or not.

Grabban is clearly doing all he can to prove that he is and it appears that he has adapted to his role in the team with ease despite the constant presence of Lyle Taylor as his main competition for the striking berth.

Getting their key man on a new contract would complete make sense for Forest and given his age it isn't necessarily an agreement that is dependant on the length of the deal either, with Grabban sure to acknowledge the fact that he isn't getting any younger.

However the longer that the process is drawn out, the more the speculation will increase around a player who appeared close to departing over the summer.

Love him or loathe him, Grabban is still one of the top dogs at the City Ground and for that he needs to be duly rewarded with fresh terms.

Only time will tell if the club themselves take the same view.