Wood’s dilemma: money or EPL dream
Cash or career? That’s the conundrum facing All Whites striker Chris Wood if reports of a bid by a Chinese Super League club ring true.
Wood, according to ESPN’s football website, is being targeted by Tianjin Quanjian after their failure to to sign Chelsea striker Diego Costa. His Leeds United manager insists Wood is going nowhere, but speculation will persist until the end of the January transfer window.
The Chinese club were reportedly offering Costa close to NZ$1 million a week.
Wood - who’s scoring goals for fun at Leeds United, a tier below the English Premier League (EPL) - wouldn’t command Costa’s pay packet.
But, say he was offered half as much, that’s still a cool $26 million a year. NBA star Steven Adams is the only Kiwi sportsman earning more than that ($35 million a year at the Oklahoma City Thunder).
Tempting? You bet. That level of offer would cause no end of sleepless nights.
A Chinese move would set Wood and his family up for life. But it would be a backward step, football wise.
The Waikato man has just turned 25 and is approaching his football prime.
Wood has always been determined to play regularly in the EPL after cameo appearances in the top tier for former clubs West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City.
He could be on the brink of achieving that goal with Leeds, who are fourth in the English Championship and on track for a place in the EPL playoffs.
The Kiwi forward is also reportedly on the radar of EPL clubs Swansea City, Sunderland and West Ham United.
Joining Swansea or Sunderland could be a retrograde step with both mired in the relegation zone. Leeds could pass them on the way up. But West Ham could be a safer proposition and he’d have All Whites skipper Winston Red for company in the capital.
Joining Tianjian Quanjian could be career suicide.
Not even Xinhua, China’s national news agency, would be bold enough to assert the Chinese Super League is one of world football’s top competitions.
Some big stars, generally in the twilight of their careers, have been lured there, but the English Championship would offer a higher standard.
Wood is in the form of his life this season, scoring 16 goals in Leeds’ charge up the league leader.
He’s potentially earning at least $1 million a year there and the China speculation could even spark a renewed offer.
It would be hard for any player to turn down the Chinese cash, but if Chris Wood wants to be rated in the same league as All Whites greats Wynton Rufer, Ryan Nelsen and Reid, he might be better off staying to try to achieve his EPL dream. He could always go to China once he’s ticked that big box.
Having Wood playing at the highest level possible would also be better for the All Whites as they approach the 2017 Confederations Cup finals and bid to qualify for the 2018 World Cup finals.