Nottingham Forest will officially sign Chris Wood from Newcastle United on 1st July, the Magpies have today confirmed. The 31-year-old was on loan at the City Ground during the second half of 2022/23.
Forest took a chance on Wood when Taiwo Awoniyi picked up an injury that ruled him out for three months. He was added with experience at the forefront of Steve Cooper’s thinking.
Wood didn’t really go according to plan. He did score a crucial equalising goal against Manchester City in February but he got injured against Tottenham in March and that curtailed his season.
Now, Newcastle have confirmed that Wood will make a permanent move to Forest. It’s not clear at this stage just how long he will stay at the City Ground but he will be in the squad next season.
It’s expected that the thigh injury that Wood sustained will have cleared up in time for him to join pre-season. The player will add some depth to the Forest ranks and it looks an intriguing deal.
Wood’s record with Newcastle isn’t that bad. It’s also fair to say that with 55 goals in the Premier League across spells with the Magpies and Burnley, it was a short-term signing that made some sense.
Adding him on a permanent basis is strange, however. Wood fits the role of a target man to a tee but he’s a completely different player to Awoniyi and ultimately he doesn’t suit the style that Cooper wants to play.
Forest will officially sign Wood from Newcastle
This hasn’t really come out of the blue. It was announced after Wood made three appearances that the player would become a permanent Forest signing at the end of the campaign.
Seeing it written down, now makes it a reality, however. Plenty of supporters are unconvinced by Wood and ultimately he deserves the chance to show what he can do with a full pre-season under his belt.
Wood might be a useful option to have from the bench. Time will tell of course, but he could be the sort of player to throw onto the pitch when a different option is required in the final third.
This deal is one that will officially go through on the 1st July. Only time will tell whether or not Wood can prove his harshest critics wrong at the City Ground.