Burnley's decision to accept relegation rivals Newcastle United's bid for Chris Wood and sign Wout Weghorst as his replacement could prove to be a 'masterstroke'. That is the view of former Chelsea and Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who is confident Weghorst suits the Clarets' style of play 'a little bit better'.
Newcastle moved swiftly to make Wood their second January signing, with a long-term injury to Callum Wilson highlighting Eddie Howe's lack of options up front. The New Zealand international has started all six fixtures since his arrival, but is yet to open his account in black-and-white.
Howe has defended the 30-year-old's performances so far, insisting his pressing and physical presence have improved Newcastle's performances in recent weeks. Wood is yet to taste defeat for his new club, helping the club pick up 14 points from their last six matches.
However, this drought has inevitably raised question marks from pundits over Wood's contributions so far, with his replacement at Burnley registering one goal and two assists so far. Schwarzer has compared the two strikers, and believes Sean Dyche has banked cash from the sale of Wood while improving his side.
Speaking on Optus Sport's The GegenPod Football Podcast, the pundit said: "They are very different players. I find that Chris Wood is very technical, a lot quicker and a bit more robust, and had played very well for Burnley. Obviously he has struggled a bit since he's been at Newcastle.
"Weghorst is a big guy, really tall, really strong, very good in the air so he's got a different style to his game. I think he probably suits Burnley a little bit better, so I think they've done a really good job selling Chris Wood for the money they got, and for bringing in Weghorst for what, £15m?
"I think that potentially could be a masterstroke for them, other than Maxwel Cornet of course."
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