After bringing in as many as four new signings, it is safe to say that Newcastle United and their fans enjoyed a bumper January transfer window.
Although the likes of Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes are two of the bigger named signings the Magpies made, pundit and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes one of the most effective recruitees could in fact be former Burnley striker Chris Wood.
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Wood joined from the Clarets late on last month and although his price tag of £25m raised a few eyebrows, Neville feels the New Zealander’s acquisition could prove decisive in their bid to remain in the Premier League.
Speaking recently on his podcast, Neville said: “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.”