Chris Wood makes honest claim about his time at Newcastle United after being tempted by PIF

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Chris Wood has reflected on his Newcastle United career ahead of returning to St James’ Park.

Newcastle United face Nottingham Forest on Sunday, with the two sides vying for a place in next season’s Champions League.

Forest are this season’s surprise package, with Nuno Espirito Santo guiding them to third in the table. They have been absolutely outstanding, and a large reason for their position in the table is Chris Wood’s goals.

The New Zealand international has 18 Premier League goals, which is one more than Alexander Isak.

Chris Wood’s Newcastle United career

Wood’s record for Forest is a complete contrast to his Newcastle United career. Newcastle signed Wood from Burnley for £25million in January 2022, as they battled to avoid relegation. They did just that, but the goals did not flow for Wood. In total, he scored just five goals for the Magpies.

However, he was still an important player for Eddie Howe. The target man allowed those around him to flourish, at a time when Isak had not arrived and Callum Wilson was injured.

Wood was pivotal for Newcastle in 2022, having been lured to Tyneside by PIF and their ambition.

Chris Wood makes Newcastle admission

Now Wood has spoken about his Newcastle United career, admitting to Sky Sports that his time at St James’ Park was not perfect.

However, he is still happy about what he achieved in the North East – and so he should be.

“I could see the project that Newcastle were trying to build,” he said.

“It was an opportunity to elevate my game and potentially take me to the next step if I went in there and scored goals and done well.

“It didn’t work out perfectly, but it worked out well. We stayed up, done extremely well and then we got Champions League the next year.

“I’m happy to be a part of that and the rebuild of Newcastle, and where they have gone on to is fantastic.”

Wood transfer was outstanding business by Newcastle

On paper, Wood’s move to Newcastle United was not a success. He cost £25million but only scored five goals, which means he was worth £5million a goal.

But that does not tell the whole story. Wood’s role got the best out of the teammates around him, while his arrival weakened a relegation rival in Burnley. They were subsequently relegated to the Championship.

Wood was then sold to Nottingham Forest, with Newcastle receiving £15million. A £10million loss had to be considered good business, as the performances that helped keep the Magpies in the Premier League were worth much more than that financially.

The 33-year-old hoped to go to the next level as a Newcastle United player, and that did not quite happen. But he did help the Magpies go to the next level, and now Wood could get there himself with Forest.

They are genuine contenders to qualify for the Champions League, and will be tough opponents for Newcastle United on Sunday.

The Magpies will hope to keep Wood quiet, after he scored a hat-trick on his last return to St James’ Park.