What Eddie Howe has said about Nottingham Forest star Chris Wood as he prepares for Newcastle return

Chris Wood’s career-best season just gets better and better for Nottingham Forest, with former club Newcastle United next to try and keep him quiet.

There weren’t many positives to take from Forest’s loss against Fulham but Wood’s beautifully taken goal was at least something to remember for the travelling fans.

Marco Silva hailed Wood’s display in what is becoming a regular occurrence for Forest opposition managers who don’t seem to be able to find a solution for the Kiwi international who has 18 Premier League goals this season.

In fact, Wood has the Premier League’s best shot conversion rate which indicates that his form is no fluke, to the benefit of Nuno Espirito Santo who has developed a system to exploit the target man’s strengths.

Next to try and keep Wood quiet are his former employers Newcastle United, who the forward left to join Forest in 2023. In comparison to his prolific time at the City Ground, Wood scored just five goals in 39 appearances at Newcastle but this didn’t stop Magpies boss Eddie Howe appreciating his talents.

Eddie Howe appreciated Chris Wood at Newcastle United

After an initial loan, Wood completed a permanent move to Forest in the summer 2023 transfer window in a deal that clearly improved the Forest squad significantly.

It never seemed like Wood would be missed at Newcastle either given the brilli onance of Alexander Isak so the deal made sense for all parties, but Howe still understood that Wood played an important role in his squad.

Speaking to The Shields Gazette about Wood in November, Howe said: “For me, it was never lost how well he [Wood] played for us, he did everything but score but his positive performances were so important in our effort to stay in the league, especially in that first season.