Newcastle United have not been shy when it comes to being active in the transfer market over recent years.
Since their takeover by Saudi Arabia’s PIF, the Magpies have recruited new players for almost every position in the squad.
A significant number of players signed by the Toon over the past two transfer windows have been from fellow English clubs.
Names such as Nick Pope, Matt Targett and Dan Burn have all joined the Tyneside club from a range of clubs across the country.
Another name that made a move to St. James’ Park from another English club that has not been a particularly strong one is Chris Wood.
Signed from Burnley back in the previous January transfer window in a deal worth £25m, the striker has gone on to make 36 appearances for Newcastle across all competitions, scoring just five goals in the process prior to Tuesday evening’s league clash against Arsenal.
His overall performances in the league this season have earned the New Zealand international a rather disappointing season rating of 6.31/10 from WhoScored, making him one of the lowest-rated players to have started more than one game in the current campaign.
This backs up why he was described as being an “underwhelming” signing for Newcastle by journalist Jacque Talbot.
With Wood being linked with a move away from Newcastle during the current winter window, one way of potentially getting rid of the former Burnley figure is by seeing the Toon land a deal for one of their reported attacking targets – Marcus Thuram.
Has Chris Wood been a bad signing for Newcastle?
Yes
No
At the age of 25, the Frenchman, who could be available for a bargain price, has 60 goals to his name across 235 club appearances at youth and senior levels, with 41 of those goals coming in 114 appearances for his current club Borussia Monchengladbach.
To further highlight his attacking prowess, Thuram has had more shots at goal (56) and shots on target (30) than any other player in the Bundesliga this season.
Hailed as a “phenomenal” player by Denis Zakaria, the Monchengladbach star would certainly bring some attacking flair and power to Eddie Howe’s side and cause more of a nuisance for opposition goalkeepers than Wood.