Wood chased by Wolves
IT appears Chris Wood’s English Premier League dream will have to wait.
Sky Sports UK reported yesterday that the All Whites and Leicester City striker was poised to join championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers after Wolves agreed a fee for the 22-year-old.
Wood helped Leicester gain promotion to the 2014-15 EPL, which kicks off on Saturday, but had fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of record £8 million (NZ$16m) Argentine signing Leonardo Ulloa.
Wood is well established at championship level and scored 13 goals in 46 appearances for Leicester, who he joined from West Bromwich Albion last year.
The powerful targetman had a brief taste of the English top flight in 2009 when he came off the bench for WBA against Portsmouth, becoming just the fifth New Zealander to play in the EPL.
Wood is familiar with Wolves coach Kenny Jackett, having played for him during a loan stint with Millwall in 2012, banging in 11 goals in 19 games.
Jackett told Sky: ‘‘We have made inquiries and we are in conversation, but it’s a long way off being sorted. I don’t really want to talk about other teams’ players. We have made an approach, but we have got a long way to go in terms of sealing him as a Wolves player.’’
Wolves, who former All Whites coach Ricki Herbert played for in the 1980s, are newly promoted from League One. West Ham United defender Winston Reid is the only Kiwi playing in the EPL.