Leeds United and Burnley should share equally fond memories of journeyman: View | OneFootball

FLW look back at the well-travelled Chris Wood, who had the best and longest spells of his career with Burnley and Leeds United.

Chris Wood has had an excellent career, but perhaps the two clubs he enjoyed the greatest success with were Leeds United and Burnley.

Wood had to make his name in the EFL after moving from Leicester City to Leeds in 2015 for a fee of around £3 million, which proved to be a bargain for the Whites.

Historically, the likes of Tony Yeboah, Mark Viduka, and Allan Clarke are among those to have led the line to an extremely high level during Leeds' years in the top-flight. However, they have had their fair share of quality number-nines in the EFL, too.

Jermaine Beckford and Luciano Becchio are just two of a long list of players in more recent years to have scored goals at Elland Road. Ross McCormack and Wood have also earned big-money moves off the back of their performances in attack for Leeds.

Chris Wood's impact at Leeds

Wood played for Leeds between 2015 and 2017 before departing for Turf Moor. The 32-year-old remains a talked-about figure despite the fact he left the club seven years ago, when he initially moved to Burnley.

The New Zealand international stands at 1.91m (6'3") tall and is an intimidating figure to come up against for any centre-back at any level. He has excellent aerial ability, whether that’s from open play or set-pieces, in both attack and defence.

His threat in the air is something Leeds fans will remember from his two years at Elland Road, with his superbly directed header in a 2-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, something that sticks in the memory, in a game that he grabbed a brace in.

As we touched on above, it would also prove to be useful from a defensive point of view, with Wood contributing heavily with Pontus Jansson and Kyle Bartley back in 2016/17 when it came to Garry Monk’s side defending set-pieces.

He’s scored many goals in the Premier League since leaving Leeds in 2017, averaging just under 10 per season, proving his consistency and durability since then. However, he put himself on the map with his performances in West Yorkshire.

His first campaign at Leeds was steady, but it was under Monk that Wood thrived, in part thanks to playing in a setup which played to his strengths. Pablo Hernandez pulled the strings and the likes of Jansson, Bartley, and Luke Ayling provided defensive stability for a side that finished seventh thanks to Wood's impressive haul.

His presence would be good for pinning the opposition back to act as a focal point. Although he may lack some mobility to run the channels, he also works tirelessly for the team. His goals that year earned him his Premier League chance, despite starting the first few games of the 2017/18 season at Elland Road.

Chris Wood's Burnley career

Burnley have had plenty of ups and downs over the last decade or so, but have had some impressive strikers pass through their doors, especially Wood, but the likes of Danny Ings have also enjoyed success at Turf Moor too.

The Clarets have floated between the Premier League and the Championship in recent years, and aside from the 2016/17 campaign in which they qualified for European football, they have struggled to truly cement themselves in the Premier League.

However, one of their most successful spells in recent history came when Burnley enjoyed their six-year spell in the Premier League under Sean Dyche and had some fantastic players on the books. One centre-forward in particular will be forever remembered at Turf Moor and is still banging in top-flight goals today.

The summer of 2017 saw the Clarets sign Chris Wood on a permanent deal from Leeds after the striker had bagged 27 Championship goals in 44 games. They spent a club-record fee of £15 million to acquire his services and to give him his first serious shot at regular Premier League football.

It turned out to be a bargain deal and a fantastic move for both parties at Leeds' expense, as Wood went on to become a modern-day club legend. The New Zealand international scored 10 goals in his first season for the club as Burnley finished seventh in the Premier League to achieve European qualification.

Wood would go on to become one of the Premier League's most reliable marksmen and hit double figures for the Clarets over the next three seasons as well, and was one of their standout performers that they could rely on through challenging spells of fighting relegation.

He fit like a glove in Dyche's system, which played to his and Ashley Barnes' strengths. However, after scoring a total of 53 goals for Burnley, Wood departed for Newcastle United, which proved to be a mistake on their behalf to let him go.

In January 2022, Newcastle activated a release clause in Wood's contract that was a fee of around £25 million, meaning he would be trading Turf Moor for St James' Park shortly after Newcastle's takeover.

He managed just four goals in a year, before being loaned out to Nottingham Forest. Last summer, the striker signed for Forest on a permanent deal and went on to play some of the best football of his career since the stints at Leeds and Burnley.

Last season saw Wood score 14 goals in a struggling Nottingham Forest side and eventually helped them comfortably over the line to avoid relegation to the Championship. He was particularly excellent at both Leeds and Forest, but has become a reliable source of goals in the top-flight of English football well into his 30s.

Wood has over 70 goals in the Premier League, despite largely playing in bottom-half sides. Leeds and Burnley are where he will most fondly be remembered for his exploits, though. No Leeds player has come close to scoring 30 in a single season since Wood's departure, whereas Burnley have not had a player as reliable and consistent as Wood up top since.