We’re glad he’s in our neck of the Wood now
MAGPIES SKIPPER HAILS SIGNING OF A REAL ‘HANDFUL’
JAMAAL Lascelles knows from experience what a ‘ handful’ Newcastle United signing Chris Wood can be, and is confident the striker will prove a ‘great addition’.
The New Zealand international became the Magpies’ second January signing after agreeing a £25m switch from relegation rivals Burnley.
Callum Wilson’s long-term injury and Dwight Gayle’s recent absence highlighted United’s lack of cover up top and led to the new owners acting swiftly in the market.
Wood is expected to make his black-and-white debut against Watford today.
Newcastle captain Lascelles has regularly gone toe to toe with the new signing in recent seasons, and believes the 30-year-old will provide a ‘different’ attacking weapon.
He told NUFC TV: “He’s a handful. I played against him when he was at Leeds and in his time at Burnley, he’s a real handful.
“You just feel his presence in the box and you know if you give him a chance, he’s going to score it.
“His hold-up play is good, he’s great in the air and he offers us something slightly different which I think is important, especially at this time of the year.
“It’s a great addition. All the boys are buzzing he’s joined us, and hopefully we can all hit the ground running on Saturday.”
Wood follows Kieran Trippier in signing for Newcastle in the current window, with the England international making his debut in last weekend’s FA Cup defeat to Cambridge United. Lascelles missed the shock third-round exit but could start alongside the full-back for the first time against the Hornets, having returned to training.
The centre-back said: “We all know his qualities. He’s played in top competitions with huge teams, and you can see it straight away in training.
“He’s a good leader, he’s really positive and he’s a really good player to have around the place.”
The signings of Trippier and
Wood at the ages of 31 and 30 respectively represents an immediate shift from the entrenched transfer policy under Mike Ashley.
Lascelles has captained Newcastle for almost six years, and has hailed the addition of two experienced internationals to help lead United’s battle for survival.
He added: “I think it’s so important. Just because I wear the armband doesn’t mean I need to be in charge of everything. It’s good to have a good leadership group, and we definitely have that.
“I think it’ll help me out massively. I will go to them because they are older and more experienced than me, so I’ll go to them and try and better myself as well.
“It’s a great bit of business, and I’m really looking forward to settling down with them.”