Burnley may be looking at Nottingham Forest with serious Premier League regret | OneFootball

Burnley's promotion battle strikes a strong contrast with Chris Wood's pursuit of Champions League football

Burnley’s striker woes in the Championship will sting that much greater when looking across at Nottingham Forest’s high-flying Premier League campaign.

The Clarets are in the mix for automatic promotion back to the top flight, but the lack of a consistent goal scorer has hurt them at times.

Scott Parker’s side is built on a mean defence, conceding just nine goals from 31 games played, a remarkable record at this or any level.

But Chris Wood’s goals for Nottingham Forest could have the Reds competing in the Champions League next season.

It was the New Zealand international’s departure in the 2022 January window that kickstarted the Lancashire outfit’s slide into becoming a yo-yo club.

Wood was sold to Newcastle United, who were then relegation rivals, for a fee of £25 million, as reported by Sky Sports, after a release clause was triggered.

Chris Wood’s impressive Nottingham Forest form

Wood has been the surprise factor behind the Premier League’s surprise package this season, scoring 17 goals from 24 appearances so far.

The 33-year-old is enjoying the most prolific year of his career at this level, beating his previous record of 14 with 14 games still to play.

The New Zealander was a key figure for Burnley prior to his sale over three years ago, and his departure had a negative impact on Sean Dyche’s side.

Wout Weghorst was signed as his replacement, but the Dutchman was unable to replicate Wood’s goal-scoring capabilities.

Weghorst scored just twice from 20 appearances, and Burnley were duly relegated to the Championship.

This led to promotion and another relegation before circling back to Parker’s current iteration of the team, with the Clarets now stuck in a yo-yo cycle between the top two divisions.

The move to Newcastle also didn’t work out for Wood either, but he has since rediscovered his scoring form under Nuno Espirito Santo at Forest, scoring 31 times from 55 appearances in the Premier League.

Burnley’s striker problem

A prolific striker like Wood is exactly what Burnley need in their pursuit of automatic promotion to the top flight this year.

Josh Brownhill is currently their top scorer with a total of nine goals to his name, two of which were penalties.

There is no doubt that someone of Wood’s calibre in the team would have them flying in top spot, given how strong their backline has been.

Instead they now face stiff competition from Leeds United, Sheffield United and Sunderland, and there are no guarantees they will earn their Premier League status back at the first attempt.

Burnley were unable to particularly address this problem during the January transfer window, with a move to bring Ashley Barnes back to the club really highlighting how severe the problem is.

Wood’s continued strong form, including a hat-trick against Brighton last weekend, will sting, with the Clarets likely now regretting that deal with Newcastle.

While Forest are competing for a return to Europe’s top stage, Burnley are left in an uncertain position in the Championship, facing the possibility of a play-off where simply anything could happen.