Former Newcastle United striker Chris Wood recently praised the honesty that Eddie Howe showed when discussing his future at the club. The Newcastle manager is currently grappling with the transfer drama involving Alexander Isak, who has taken to social media to claim the club broke promises made to him.
Isak was the target of a £110million bid from Liverpool and has not been involved in first-team training, though Howe has previously stated he would be willing to reintegrate the striker should the situation be resolved. Howe displayed similar honesty regarding Wood's prospects after he received an approach from Nottingham Forest, twelve months after his £25m switch from Burnley in January 2022. Wood helped the club escape relegation trouble and secure an impressive 11th-place finish. However, he found himself slipping down the pecking order following the club-record acquisition of Isak 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."
Howe's frankness regarding Wood's future enabled the striker to make the switch to Forest, where he has since thrived, despite scoring just five goals in 39 outings for Newcastle. The 33-year-old has enjoyed the best form of his career at Forest, notching 20 league goals last season to propel the club to European qualification.
However, he did return to torment Newcastle, netting all three goals in a 3-1 Forest triumph during his first game against his former employers on Boxing Day in 2023. "It was very weird emotionally," Wood confessed. "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."
Meanwhile, Newcastle are searching for a new striker as the transfer window deadline approaches. Whether Isak remains at St James' Park or not, Howe will be keen to strengthen his attacking options. William Osula was the only recognised frontman in his squad for the team's match at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Newcastle have been linked with a potential swoop for Brentford's Yoane Wissa following Callum Wilson's departure from St James' Park when his contract expired. The club have also addressed Isak's recent claims concerning 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."