Callum Wilson believes that Newcastle United have just signed the best striker (aside from himself!) in the bottom half of the Premier League in Chris Wood.
Speaking on the BBC’s Footballer’s Football Podcast, our injured No 9 has also revealed that the arrival of fierce competition will only spur him on, saying it’ll “bring out the dog in me” once he’s back fit again.
Wilson has been ruled out for the next eight weeks, meaning he’ll miss winnable games against the likes of Watford, Leeds, Everton, Brentford and Aston Villa, however he’s backing the New Zealand international to be a ‘great addition.’
He also thinks his size and stature could make him an ideal partner to play alongside, feeling he could start up top with the 6ft 3′ Kiwi once he’s back from injury in March.
Here’s what Wilson had to say when speaking on his new podcast alongside West Ham star Michail Antonio:
“While I’m out injured, I don’t think you’re going to get a better striker in the bottom half of the league than Chris Wood.
“He will be a great addition.
“For me, he’s a different profile so I’m sure the manager has in his plans to play us together or one of us to play at a time. We’ll be bringing in plenty of strikers throughout the next few years and it’s enjoyable. I actually really like it when a striker’s coming in the door.
“I remember I was at Bournemouth and I was sitting out injured with an ACL injury. In the January, we brought in Glenn Murray, Benik Afobe, Lewis Grabban. All these players were just coming through the door and I’m sitting there with my leg just in a brace thinking, ‘Oooof! The competition is heating up!’ By the time I get back, they know what it is. The king is back! I’m joking!
“In a club environment, you become a family so you become a partnership, a unit, and that’s what we’ll be working on as strikers. We’ll have some finishing sessions and stuff like that. It will be good. It’s going to be interesting. I can watch from afar until I’m back fit.”
Wilson then revealed how happy he is to see new signings in the door, believing extra competition will only benefit both him and his teammates to up their performance levels:
“It’s going to be good to have new bodies in the building, adding competition for places with strikers coming in the door, which is exciting for me. I like it,”
“It’s going to bring out the dog in me! All of a sudden, I’m going to come back with a different mentality but I think that’s what you need.
“Sometimes, you need to have that little bit of a boost to get you going again, just to stimulate you and keep you on your toes, and that’s what’s coming so it’s nice. Interesting.
“I back myself, obviously. Any player you ask coming in the door would say the same. For me, being out injured, we need players in the team that are Premier League ready right now.“
