Alexander Isak and Chris Wood are currently third and fourth top in the 2024/25 Premier League goalscoring charts, 19 and 19 goals respectively.
Former Man U striker Teddy Sheringham has now came up with a cunning plan for the pair of them…
Just to remind you, Eddie Howe was ridiculed when agreeing to pay the £25m Burnley release clause to sign Chris Wood in January 2022. United were staring relegation in the face and the only Premier League level striker at the club, Callum Wilson, had just been ruled out for the rest of the season.
A lot of misrepresentation from the media and indeed from many Newcastle United fans about Wood’s time at St James’ Park. He was a massive success and NOT a huge failure.
In that dire nailed on relegation situation inherited from Bruce and Ashley, Chris Wood was brought in to do a very unselfish team job, rather than be the focal point to score the bulk of the goals. Wood only scored two Premier League goals in that 2021/22 half season BUT in the 15 PL matches he started in that relegation fight, Newcastle picked up an amazing 29 points. Only Liverpool and Man City picked up more points the second half of that season.
With his big job completed, Chris Wood saw Alexander Isak brought in to be first choice striker in August 2022, with Callum Wilson second choice once fully fit again. In the first half of the 2022/23 Premier League season, Chris Wood scored two goals in 437 minutes as he only started four PL matches and was used mainly as a sub.
January 2023 saw Chris Wood move on loan to Nottingham Forest with an obligation to buy him for £15m in summer 2023. Forest fans ridiculed the signing of Wood (though not quite as much as that of Jonjo Shelvey…) as he scored only one goal in seven Premier League appearances in that half season, injury curtailing his involevement.
Forest fans though ‘slightly’ changing their minds as, now used once again as the focal point as main goalscorer, Chris Wood scored 14 Premier League goals last (2023/24) season and 18 PL goals so far this one.
In total these past three Premier League seasons, a now 33 year old Chris Wood having scored 33 PL goals, whilst a now 25 year old Alexander Isak has scored 50 PL goals in the same time period.
If you take just these last two Premier League seasons, it is 32 goals for Chris Wood in 58 PL appearances, whilst for Alexander Isak it is 40 goals in 54 PL appearances.
Teddy Sheringham explaining his cunning Chris Wood and Alexander Isak plan…
“Chris Wood would be great signing for Gunners or Newcastle: Without a doubt. He’s a young man at 33.
“I played till I was 41 in the Premier League. He’s still a young man.
“For the way he plays the game, he can keep going until he’s 36, 37, no shadow of a doubt. If I was Arteta, I could quite easily break the bank for him to play as a goal scorer for Arsenal. Someone that scores goals at the top level is hard to come by and he can do it.
“Yes, he’s had a phenomenal season, but he’s a natural goal scorer that is capable of leading the line and creating danger in the boxes, occupying defenders.
“Newcastle could even get him back up there. If they want to cash in on Isak and get £120 million for him to go to Arsenal and then get Wood to go in there for £20-30 million.
“You’ve got a goal scorer that finishes off all the good work that the rest of the players are doing.”