Let us admit it right now - £15m for Chris Wood is a terrific piece of business for Newcastle United because recovering the full £25m they shelled out a year ago was never going to happen in a month of Sundays. In addition United are saving more than 80 grand a week from their wage bill.
No way United could turn down £15m for a non-scoring centre-forward which, harsh as it may sound, is what Wood was at NUFC even if in wishing to be kind upon his departure remembering he took part in a successful relegation fight words like willing, honest, workhorse, and loyal club man have been tossed around like confetti.
Even amid the current excitement of a Champions League charge in the Premier League and a League Cup semi-final at Southampton on Tuesday night the climax to the January transfer window captivates Newcastle fans. What next, we ask? The only shame is that United will not get the Wood money straight away as a gimme and have to pray he meets the limited requirements as expected to trigger a permanent move to Nottingham Forest at the end of the season.
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That hope took a significant step nearer when Wood - Forest's 24th signing of a scatter-gun season - was chucked straight in for his debut at Bournemouth. He failed to score and was dragged quarter of an hour from the end with ironically his substitute Sam Sturridge scoring the goal that brought Forest a vital point.
However amid all the frenzied activity United have removed a considerable dollop of money from their weekly wage bill. I believe Wood was on around £82,000 a week (£4.264m a year) which is more than the likes of Joelinton, Joe Willock, Miggy Almiron, Dan Burn, and Fabian Schar make at SJP.
Of course players are not to blame for their size of their wage packet - like all they accept as much as they can get - but my information is that in comparison Almiron is on £74,000 a week, Burn £52,000, and Schar just £47,000.
Of course current valuation can be different to what was the state of play when a contract was given. Wood as a centre-forward for whom United were willing to pay as much as £25m would command top dollar while Almiron may be leading goalscorer this season but was goal shy for years upon joining Newcastle not from another PL club but American employees in a lower standard league.
Equally defenders like Burn and Schar, good as they are in the PL's best back four when it comes to not conceding goals, are not the blue eyed boys like others of eye-catching creative skills further upfield. Of course every day that passes this month only heightens transfer speculation and a replacement for Wood in terms of numbers is now a priority but time is the enemy.
It shows how far Newcastle have come in such a short space of time that we are disappointed with the result at Crystal Palace when the Mags are currently in a lofty Champions League position blowing away record after record. The frustration of course is that United have drawn three of their last four PL matches 0-0 with the goals having suddenly dried up - only one during that run and that at the death against Fulham. This was also their third successive goalless draw with Palace this season.
Still, let us remember that United have lost only once in 20 PL matches and have just set a club record of 15 top flight games unbeaten. They also boast by far the best defensive record - 11 goals conceded in 20 outings and 12 clean sheets.
It's not just the back four who can take a bow of course. An underworked Nick Pope still produced a sensational save from sub Jean-Philippe Mateta which unbelievably was Palace's one and only shot on target. The stats emphasised how United ran the match yet again even as the away team - 62% possession, seven shots on against one, and 15 corners to three.
However they blew the chances that came their way especially a trio of clear cut headers by Callum Wilson, Sven Botman, and Alexander Isak. Never mind, onward and upward. It's a trip to Southampton next for a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday night.
The Saints' morale-boosting three wins on the bounce came to a shuddering halt at home to Aston Villa who beat them 1-0 to nail Southampton to the bottom of the table. Hardly the ideal preparation for such a huge match.
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