Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe showed his personality when faced with transfer conversations following Alexander Isak's arrival at the club
Eddie Howe and Alexander Isak
A former Newcastle United star recalled his conversation with Eddie Howe shortly after Alexander isak joined the club
(Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Former Newcastle United striker Chris Wood has revealed the honesty that Eddie Howe demonstrated when assessing his future at the club.
The Newcastle boss is currently dealing with the transfer saga surrounding Alexander Isak, who has accused the club of broken promises on social media. Isak was the subject of a £110million offer from Liverpool and has not been involved in first team training, but Howe has previously admitted he would welcome the striker back into the fold if circumstances change.
Howe was similarly truthful about Wood's future after he received an offer to join Nottingham Forest, a year on from his £25m move from Burnley in January 2022. Wood helped the club survive a relegation battle and achieve an unlikely 11th place finish. However, he was pushed down the pecking order after club-record signing Isak’s arrival from Real Sociedad.
“It all came around very quickly. Forest needed a striker and I wasn’t playing at Newcastle,” Wood recalled to FourFourTwo in January. “Alexander Isak is a brilliant player and he was coming into his own, showing his quality.
“You could see it when he arrived. I spoke to Eddie and he said, ‘At the moment, it seems you’re going to be third choice.’
“I thanked him for being honest and open. I said, ‘I’ve received this opportunity – would it be possible?’ He said, ‘If that’s what you want to do, we can work it out.’ I really appreciated his honesty.
“I could come down here [to Forest] and play more football than I would’ve done at Newcastle. Leaving was tough – I was really enjoying my time up here with the teammates and friends I’d made, and I wanted to be involved in the club for years to come because I could see the project being amazing.”
Chris Wood and Eddie Howe in conversation
Chris Wood arrived as a £25m signing to help Newcastle escape relegation trouble in 2022
Howe’s openness about Wood’s prospects allowed the forward to join Forest and he has since flourished at the City Ground, despite scoring just five goals in 39 appearances for Newcastle. The 33-year-old has enjoyed career-best form at Forest, finishing with 20 league goals last term to fire the club into the European places.
However, he did come back to haunt Newcastle, scoring all three goals in a 3-1 Forest win in his first game against his former club on Boxing Day in 2023. "It was very weird emotionally," Wood admitted. "I wanted to do so much more at Newcastle but it didn’t work out, so it felt weird to score a hat-trick there.
"I have so much respect for the club and my former team-mates, but also it was a wonderful moment for my club – and for me personally."
Alexander Isak playing for Newcastle United
Alexander Isak has been the subject of interest from Liverpool after scoring 62 goals in 109 games for Newcastle
Meanwhile, Newcastle are currently hunting for a new striker as the end of the transfer window nears. Regardless of whether Isak stays at the club, Howe will want to bolster his forward options, with William Osula being the only recognised striker in his squad for the team’s season opener at Aston Villa.
Newcastle have been linked with a move for Brentford's Yoane Wissa since Callum Wilson left St James’ Park at the end of his contract. The club have also responded to Isak’s claims of broken promises regarding his future.
“We are disappointed to have been alerted to a social media post by Alexander Isak this evening," the club statement read. “We are clear in response that Alex remains under contract and that no commitment has ever been made by a club official that Alex can leave Newcastle United this summer.
“We want to keep our best players, but we also understand players have their own wishes and we listen to their views. As explained to Alex and his representatives, we must always take into consideration the best interests of Newcastle United, the team and our supporters in all decisions and we have been clear that the conditions of a sale this summer have not transpired. We do not foresee those conditions being met.”