Journalist George Caulkin has been speaking on Pod on the Tyne about what people inside Newcastle United think about Chris Wood and his future with the Magpies.
Wood was brought in as the striker Eddie Howe wanted to lead his line in the absence of Callum Wilson, who remains on the sidelines, but after 13 games and just two goals, some may be questioning the £25m signing made by PIF.
Does Wood deserve to stay at NUFC next season?
Yes!
No!
However, as Caulkin pointed out in a piece he wrote for The Athletic last week, no player in the league has won more aerial duels or managed to get more shots on target than Wood, proving he is in fact doing a solid job for Howe and the Magpies, who have seen their points tally dramatically increase since his arrival at the club.
While many may have seen Wood, who is a 30-year old striker, as a stop-gap until the summer transfer window for Newcastle and would expect him to depart at the end of the season, Caulkin has revealed that feeling is not shared within the club.
Caulkin said: “He has only scored a couple of goals, we know that, but he’s also played in every game since he arrived and he’s been a part of this huge uptick in form, they wouldn’t have done it without him.
“And I did also speak to people in the dressing room, one of his teammates said that he’s one of the nicest guys that they’ve come across in football.
“The points total since he’s been in the team speaks for itself, and somebody at the top of the club said 100%, Chris Wood will be here next season, that they’ll need him.”
TIF Thoughts on Wood…
The New Zealand international has certainly been underwhelming when it comes to goalscoring on Tyneside, however, he is leading the line and offering an outlet for the defence and midfield when under pressure as they know he will have a good chance of winning any aerial duels, with Caulkin highlighting that stat in his piece.
Wood is certainly not the sort of signing many would have expected when PIF made them one of the richest clubs in the world, however, he has proved his experience of being in relegation battles in the past and has led the line well enough to see the Magpies move 12 points clear of the bottom three, so his reward for playing such a key role would never likely have been to move on.
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