January 13, (THEWILL) – Newcastle have acquired Burnley striker Chris Wood after paying his release clause, which is thought to be approximately £25 million, signing the 30-year-old to a two-and-a-half-year contract.
The veteran striker has been signed as a replacement for Callum Wilson, who has been ruled out for two months with a calf injury. Wood is Eddie Howe’s second January signing, following the arrival of Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid last week.
With 49 Premier League goals, Chris Wood is Burnley’s all-time leading scorer. Since his debut in August 2017, he has scored 49 goals for the Clarets, accounting for 29 percent of the team’s total goals in the competition (49/170). 15 of those goals have been game-winners.
For a statistic of his contribution in all competitions, Wood scored 53 goals in 165 appearances for Burnley in his time at Turf Moor.
Speaking with the club’s website, Wood said:. “This is a very exciting opportunity for me and I’m delighted to be a Newcastle United player.
“I have played at St. James’ Park a few times and it’s an amazing place, so to have the chance to represent this club with those incredible supporters behind me and my team-mates is very special.
“The club and manager have been first class during this process, and I really can’t wait to get onto the pitch and repay the faith they have in me, especially with a vital part of the season ahead of us.”
Team manager Eddie Howe was equally happy with the signing, expressing his delight in bringing Wood’s physicality and experience to his relegation-threatened club.
“Chris is an important signing for us at a crucial time,” he said. “I’m very pleased we have been able to move quickly and bring him here.
“He is a very dangerous attacking threat, has a physicality and character that I really like, and he has vast experience in the Premier League. He will be a great fit for us.”
Newcastle is currently 19th in the table and host Watford, who are in 17th place, on Saturday in a critical home fixture.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
