**Ryan Yates: ‘I wanted to sign my contract in a snorkel, but Forest wouldn’t let me’** Nottingham Forest's beloved captain, Ryan Yates, recently shared his amusing desire to sign his contract in a snorkel, a testament to his playful personality. When the club announced his contract extension this summer, they celebrated with a lighthearted video featuring Yates cruising along the River Trent on the Nottingham Princess, an 80-foot double-decker boat. To many fans, he is the unofficial prince of Nottingham, affectionately known as Mr. Forest. Yet, despite his status, Yates remains grounded and continuously seeks to improve his game. “I genuinely wanted to dive underwater, with a piece of paper floating on top,” Yates recalled with a chuckle. “Then I’d come up wearing a snorkel and sign it. But they wouldn’t let me; they were quite concerned about that idea.” His laughter echoed in the boardroom at Forest’s training facility, perfectly capturing his warm and relatable nature. As he embarks on his third season as a Premier League midfielder, Yates reflects fondly on his journey, which began with his professional debut for Barrow in August 2016. He reminisced about the nerves he felt before that game, staying at his parents' house the night before. “They drove me to the match, and when I arrived, the club had put my shirt up in the dressing room. It was No. 22, but they had to rip the name and number off someone else’s shirt to stick mine on. You could see the outline of the previous player’s name and number. The shirt was massive—definitely an XL. I watched clips from that game a few months ago for a laugh; I was running around like a headless chicken.” Yates's journey from those early days to becoming a key player for Nottingham Forest is a testament to his dedication and love for the game.