Rumours linking Newcastle striker Chris Wood to Leeds United which first emerged at the weekend via Football Insider have been played down by the North-Eastern club, as per Chronicle Live.
Wood’s impact at Newcastle so far this Premier League season has been limited having only started two matches, with manager Eddie Howe preferring to utilise him as a squad player to see out the dying moments of matches.
As such, he has only found the back of the net once this term, and finds himself firmly behind regular starter Callum Wilson and summer signing Alexander Isak in Howe’s general plans.
The New Zealander enjoyed a fruitful spell at Leeds between 2015 and 2017; he was a constant performer during his time at the Yorkshire club, scoring 40 goals in 80 Championship appearances.
With the Whites in pursuit of a striker in the upcoming January transfer window, it is perhaps inevitable that Wood found himself linked with a return to a former club at which he excelled.
This speculation has been discredited by Chronicle Live’s report however, which states that “there have been links for Chris Wood with Leeds United but that suggestion was played down within the camp in the last few days.”
The right fit?
Whilst Wood’s Championship goalscoring record for Leeds was immense, it must be fairly recognised that the Premier League is an entirely different ball-park, as the New Zealander is now finding out at Newcastle.
Since leaving the Whites for then-Premier League side Burnley, his best goal return came in the 2019/20 season where he netted 14 in 32 appearances. Respectable, yet not mind-blowing.
Also worth questioning is whether a player like Wood, who prefers to act as a target man in essence, would fit Leeds head coach Jesse Marsch’s footballing system – in terms of both playing style and work rate.
Perhaps Chronicle Live’s dismissal of the Wood rumours are a blessing in disguise which enable Leeds to scout more appropriate targets in the striker position.
