‘Leaving Newcastle was tough – I wanted to be involved in the club for years to come, but I’d become third choice and just wanted opportunity to play football’: Premier League in-form star opens up on St. James' Park departure

Newcastle have rapidly developed a team under Eddie Howe capable of challenging for a place in the Champions League, but consistent new arrivals on Tyneside has meant certain players have had to look elsewhere in seeking out other Premier League opportunities.

Chief among them is Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, who signed for Newcastle in the 2022 winter window for £25m after the Magpies triggered his release clause at Burnley. The New Zealand striker lasted just a year at Newcastle before joining Nottingham Forest in a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

He completed a permanent move in June 2023, with the deal worth a reported £15m. But while Wood initially didn't want to leave Newcastle, his desire for more first team opportunities has worked out perfectly - he bagged 14 Premier League goals last term and has already matched that total in 2024/25.

Newcastle made £10m loss on Chris Wood - then saw him score a hat-trick against them

"It all came around very quickly," Wood exclusively tells FourFourTwo. "Forest needed a striker and I wasn’t playing at Newcastle; 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 with 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 and play more football than I would’ve done at Newcastle.

"Leaving was tough – I was really enjoying my time up there with the team-mates 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, especially with where we were in the league at the time [fourth]. But it was an opportunity to play football, and at 31 years old that was what I wanted."

Wood failed to light up St. James' Park quite in the same way he is doing at the City Ground, too, with his five goals in 39 appearances overall for Newcastle not quite good enough for Eddie Howe's side. He has since shone at the Toon's home ground, however, returning with Forest on Boxing Day 2023 to haunt his former employers by scoring a hat-trick in a 3-1 victory.

"It was very weird emotionally," Wood admits. "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."