Experienced Newcastle United striker Chris Wood has joined Nottingham Forest on an initial loan until the end of the season. The deal includes an obligation to buy in the next transfer window for a fee said to be in the region of $18 million, which will come into effect if specific clauses are met – presumably if the club avoids relegation. If a permanent contract is activated, it will run for a further year.At 31 years old, Wood is a player packed with experience in English football and he is just 11 appearances shy of 200 in the Premier League. The New Zealand international has scored 54 goals during his time in the top flight, with the majority of those coming at Burnley – where he netted double figures in four consecutive seasons. Wood played a significant role in helping the Magpies stay up last season after making the $30 million switch from Burnley 12 months ago. Прикажи ову објаву у апликацији Instagram Објава коју дели Chris Wood 🇳🇿 (@woodsy39) Wood links up with Steve Cooper’s squad ahead of Saturday’s clash against Bournemouth, which Forest go into having climbed to 13th in the table with back-to-back Premier League wins.Forest’s current situation seems better than Newcastle’s a year ago. The experienced striker was questioned because the fee paid by the Magpies seemed way too high for a player of his age and ability – but he did his job, scored a few goals and earned the respect of the staff, manager Eddie Howe, fellow players and fans. ##NAJAVA_MECA_6962800##The parting message from the black and whites echoed Wood’s contribution.”Thank you for the vital role you have played over the past 12 months, Chris Wood. Best of luck for the future.”The arrival of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson’s return to fitness meant that Wood would hardly get any playing time at St. James’ Park.Now, Cooper is hoping for a similar impact from the New Zealander this time around.”We’re hopefully planning to replace him” Eddie Howe says Newcastle United will only replace Chris Wood with the ‘right player’ during the January transfer window 👇 pic.twitter.com/PutqTifwHa— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 20, 2023 The strong target man probably won’t play against the Cherries but is raring to get on the pitch as soon as possible.”It’s a great feeling and I am very thankful to be here. Nottingham Forest is a massive club which I have come up against many times, but it’s nice now to be able to pull on the red shirt and fight for the club. You can see the transition over the past 18 months, and it’s progressing well. It’s a project that’s going in the right direction. It’s a club looking up rather than anything else. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but it’s a squad that’s pulling together. I’ve been in this league a long time, so hopefully, I’ll bring a lot of experience to help the younger lads out and bring everybody together.”
