West Ham United showed a genuine interest in reuniting Nuno Espirito Santo with his former Nottingham Forest frontman Chris Wood during the January transfer window.
Say what you want about Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe – the two winter additions came in for renewed criticism after the FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Leeds – bringing Chris Wood to the London Stadium would have been another level of disastrous.
The experienced targetman underwent knee surgery in October. But no one genuinely expected – certainly not West Ham United – that Wood would be out for as long as he has been.
West Ham were linked with some very risky January deals… 😵
Six months after Hammers News reported that Wood was considered a genuine option for Nuno during the January window, the former Leeds, West Brom and Leicester City striker has finally returned to the Nottingham Forest squad.
West Ham United will be glad they didn’t move for Chris Wood
It is a timely return, as well. Wood could make his first Europa League appearance since the second game of the group stage when Forest face FC Porto in the quarter-finals tonight.
Leicester City FC v Nottingham Forest FC - Premier League
Photo by Nigel French/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images
“He has started to train with the team. He is available for the game,” said head coach Vitor Pereira.
The former Wolves boss was also considered by West Ham prior to Nuno’s appointment, funnily enough.
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“He is working with us, we need to manage him a little bit physically but he has travelled. It means he is available to be in the game [at the Estadio do Dragao].
“He is an experienced player, he scores goals and it’s important to be ready for the team in this moment because we face a lot of challenges.”
On paper, Wood appeared a sensible, if not exactly long-term, addition. The New Zealand international scored a career-best 20 Premier League goals in a stunning season under Nuno.
Nuno’s squad is certainly STRONGER three months on! ⚒️ 🆚 🐺
Who has been the biggest upgrade? Disasi for Kilman surely…
West Ham v Wolves XI on January 3rd, 2006
Of the five centre-forwards to turn out for the Hammers boss this season – Pablo, Castellanos, Niclas Fullkrug, Callum Marshall and Callum Wilson – only the latter can be described as a ‘proven’ Premier League goalscorer. Furthermore, Wood would have arrived on the back of his greatest-ever campaign in senior football.
Of course, it does not reflect well on Pablo that Wood has scored more top-flight goals than him this season despite not featuring since October. Pablo is now ten games without a goal for the Hammers. Wood, meanwhile, netted two in eight before being struck down.
But even his critics would have to admit that Pablo and Castellanos have given West Ham a boost of intensity and mobility in the final third, especially out of possession.
Even by their standards, signing a 34-year-old Chris Wood and then limping along without their January saviour until the final month of the season would have made Nuno’s old City Ground warhorse the pedigree stallion of striking flops.
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