Eddie Howe recalls £15m Newcastle United transfer as Chris Wood set for St James' Park return

Eddie Howe believes Chris Wood can be proud of his time at Newcastle United, despite struggling for goals.

Wood joined the Magpies from Burnley for £25million in January 2022 and during his 12 months at St James’ Park helped the club retain its Premier League status before mounting a Champions League qualification charge.

With Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson ahead in the pecking order, the 33-year-old left to join Nottingham Forest, where he has scored 34 goals in 69 appearances, compared to his five goals in 39 games on Tyneside.

Ahead of his return to St James’ Park on Sunday, Howe heaped praise on Wood, believing people underestimating his impact at Newcastle.

Eddie Howe delighted for Chris Wood

Howe said: “I think he's been outstanding. Chris, when he came to us, helped us in a really difficult situation. Fighting relegation, we felt we needed a focal point in that position, omebody who could take a lot of pressure off us as a team and give us a physical presence. I thought he did all those things.

“I thought he was outstanding for the team, probably often underestimated how much he affected our style and our play that enabled us to stay in the league. He was an ever-present and did really well. Then, of course, with Callum's return to fitness and Alex's arrival, he ended up moving on.

“I'm just delighted for him on a personal level because he's a great character. He gave everything for us. Regularly, I can remember him doing so much for the team. Filling in positions, sprinting back, doing things that centre forwards don't normally do. He's still doing that for Nottingham Forest, but he's scoring a lot of goals as well and a different variety of goals.

“I think that's the big plus for him. Headers, goals with his feet, goals on counter-attacks. So, yes, I'm really pleased for him.”

Only Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland have scored more goals than Wood (18) in the Premier League this campaign. Last season, Wood scored a hat-trick for Forest in a 3-1 win at St James’ Park.

“Never doubted Chris’ ability, hence when he was here before signing of Alex and depending on Callum’s availability, he played regularly for us and he played very well,” said Howe. “Now he did not score the goals he is scoring now but he was a pivotal part of the team and I remember saying how good I thought he was for us.

“The fact we were winning games and the number we were, in part was down to, him. His general performance was very strong. But it is the variety of goals he has scored (for Forest) that has been so impressive, different array of goals which is making him such a difficult player to mark.

“Our defenders will have to play very well against him this weekend.”

Eddie Howe didn’t want Chris Wood to go

Howe recalled that he did not want to lose Wood, but respected his wishes. It also made financial sense for the club in their battle to comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

“Definitely trading is something I have said many times we have to do,” said Howe. “It's not a choice, we have to trade players out, and at that stage, we had to trade players out as a necessity - obviously the necessity was building upwards as we approached the next window.

“But also there was the side for Chris because Chris was, at that stage, not getting the game minutes that he wanted and it was his big push, really, to want to go rather than my wish to lose him."

Howe added: "One of my vivid memories of Chris talking about the Haka was him in his initiation moment doing the Haka, it was a hugely impressive thing. He's such a big lad and he was fully engaged and fully aggressive and he delivered it to a really high standard.

“I think Chris is a character, he's a strong person and that's why when he came into the club when we were in a desperate position in the league, he immediately solidified the group. You need strong characters at that moment and you need players who have been in that position many times before.

“He rolled his sleeves up, he went to work and he can be really proud of his time at the club. I think people too often look at statistics and too often just draw their judgement from just numbers. Chris' time here isn't defined by that for me. It's defined by what he did to the group and how he helped us to stay in the league”