In a recent interview with Football Insider, former England striker Kevin Phillips has backed West Ham United to move in for Burnley striker Chris Wood this summer. Phillips said,
“Chris Wood is a real handful and he consistently scores goals.
“I know him well because he was a player I coached at Leicester. He has developed into a real old fashioned, tough centre-forward. You ask any defender, they do not like playing against him.
“With the creativity West Ham have from wide areas I think he would score goals. He can create his own goals as well.
“If David Moyes can secure his services for two or three seasons I think that would be great bit of business, to be honest.”
Wood’s Influential Role For Burnley Last Season
The New Zealand international enjoyed another solid campaign at Turf Moor as he was responsible for carrying most of his team’s goal-scoring workload up top. Wood has found the back of the net on 12 occasions and provided four assists in 37 matches for the Clarets last season across all fronts.
Besides his goals, the Auckland-born talent struggled to contribute in any other meaningful way in the attacking third after he averaged 2.1 shots, 0.7 key passes and 0.2 dribbles per 90 minutes in the 2020-21 Premier League campaign. He has been sloppy with his ball distribution as he made only 65.1% of his attempted passes but deserves a pat on the back for winning 4.7 aerial duels per game in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
Will Landing Wood Be A Wise Move For The Hammers?
Standing at 1.91m, Wood can use his powerful frame to dominate his marker in the air and can score some important goals for his side as he is an excellent header of the ball. The New Zealand international can be a decent finisher in the final third and is proficient at setting up plays for others around him when he has enough support up top. However, he doesn’t have the technical qualities required to succeed against the bigger teams in Premier League football.
Even then, his physical dominance and finishing ability make him a decent choice for the Hammers to consider before the start of the new season. Wood will add a lot of goals and physicality to the West Ham frontline and is more than capable of giving Michail Antonio a run for his money in the race to secure a regular starting berth at the London Stadium in the coming seasons.
With all things considered, recruiting the Burnley star would be a wise move for Moyes as he could fill the void left by Sebastien Haller’s departure back in January. Wood would be an ideal target man for the East London outfit and could even serve as a good option for Moyes to call upon from the bench next season.
