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Gary Neville issues verdict on Newcastle signing Chris Wood after win
Gary Neville has told that he is a big fan of Newcastle United signing Chris Wood, and suggested that he does not believe that the Magpies have had that kind of striker for a long time.
Wood is still awaiting his first goal for Newcastle following his January switch from Burnley. Of course, it was a move that raised plenty of eyebrows as the Magpies reportedly paid .
For many, it was a smart decision simply for the fact that a relegation rival had lost one of their key men. It was also accepted that Newcastle had signed a proven Premier League goalscorer.
However, it was difficult to argue with those who felt that Newcastle had paid well over the odds to sign Wood. And some may look at his run of four games without a goal and wonder if it was an error.
But Eddie Howe’s side have taken 10 points from the four games Wood has played.
‘Really good signing’
Obviously, that is not all down to him by any means. He has been outscored by right-back Kieran Trippier so far.
However, he does appear to be thriving as their focal point in attack. And following the win over Aston Villa on Sunday, Neville – who named Dan Burn as his man of the match – insisted that Newcastle have done an incredibly smart thing signing Wood.
“I like the signing of Wood. He had a big impact on that game today, the little flick-ons that he wins in the last 10 minutes that just keep the ball alive in that corner, means that it’s not coming back at you all the time,” .
“For me, I think that fixed presence, I don’t think Newcastle have had that for a few years whereby they’ve got someone to be able to play up to.
“Yes, he’s not going to score a great amount of goals. I don’t really care about that to be honest with you. It’s not his job in the team to score goals. I know he’s a centre forward and people might find that really strange for me to say.”
“I think Wood’s a really good signing, it’s reliable. It’s what was needed.”
Thoughts may soon turn to what future holds for Wood as Newcastle get momentum
Newcastle will be wary of getting carried away. However, few will now be tipping them to be relegated. They are currently one of the form teams in the Premier League.
In fact, they are only four points closer to the bottom three than the top-half. So that door to the top 10 still looks to be open for them.
With that in mind, thoughts may soon turn to what the future holds for Wood on Tyneside. Some wondered whether he may be a short-term fix for the Magpies.
If safety is assured, the New Zealander may want to set his sights on securing his spot next season when the fun could really start for Newcastle.