The right player - Rosler on Wood
leedsunited.com 1/7/15
Uwe Rosler has spoken of his delight at securing the signature of Chris Wood from Leicester, hailing the New Zealand international as the "right player at the right time".
Wood finalised a four-year deal at Elland Road on Wednesday morning after United beat off strong competition from a number of Championship rivals for his services.
The 23-year-old became the club’s fourth signing of the summer following the arrivals of goalkeeper Charlie Horton from Cardiff, forward Lee Erwin from Motherwell and defender Sol Bamba from Palermo.
Rosler revealed to leedsunited.com that competition from elsewhere made the deal “very tough” to get over the line, but the head coach hailed the influence of those at the club in getting the move finalised so quickly.
“I think it’s the right player at the right time," said Rosler. "That sort of player with proven Championship quality is rare.
“I’m very happy that we've got him. I think it’s the right player at the right price, at the right stage of his career. There was competition from other clubs.”
On his summer business so far, the head coach added: “We have signed an experienced player in Sol, we signed young players in Charlie Horton and Lee Erwin, and there’s Chris now who is a youngish player.
“There’s a clear path for us now going forward to reach the next level.”
Wolves were also among the clubs reported to have been keen on Wood’s signature, and Rosler said that demand for the striker made it a difficult deal to be completed.
“I think this was a very tough one because there was a lot of competition,” he said. “It was not easy to get it over the line.
“All credit to Mr Cellino, he was very positive to the idea to bring Chris in.
“We presented ourselves as a club – Mr Cellino, Adam Pearson, Stuart Hayton and Martyn Glover all had very important roles and then obviously myself on the footballing side.
“We presented to his agent and his parents the best possible way for him and we convinced him that Leeds United is the best move for his career because he has to find a home where he gets regular first-team football.”
Uwe Rosler has spoken of his delight at securing the signature of Chris Wood from Leicester, hailing the New Zealand international as the "right player at the right time".
Wood finalised a four-year deal at Elland Road on Wednesday morning after United beat off strong competition from a number of Championship rivals for his services.
The 23-year-old became the club’s fourth signing of the summer following the arrivals of goalkeeper Charlie Horton from Cardiff, forward Lee Erwin from Motherwell and defender Sol Bamba from Palermo.
Rosler revealed to leedsunited.com that competition from elsewhere made the deal “very tough” to get over the line, but the head coach hailed the influence of those at the club in getting the move finalised so quickly.
“I think it’s the right player at the right time," said Rosler. "That sort of player with proven Championship quality is rare.
“I’m very happy that we've got him. I think it’s the right player at the right price, at the right stage of his career. There was competition from other clubs.”
On his summer business so far, the head coach added: “We have signed an experienced player in Sol, we signed young players in Charlie Horton and Lee Erwin, and there’s Chris now who is a youngish player.
“There’s a clear path for us now going forward to reach the next level.”
Wolves were also among the clubs reported to have been keen on Wood’s signature, and Rosler said that demand for the striker made it a difficult deal to be completed.
“I think this was a very tough one because there was a lot of competition,” he said. “It was not easy to get it over the line.
“All credit to Mr Cellino, he was very positive to the idea to bring Chris in.
“We presented ourselves as a club – Mr Cellino, Adam Pearson, Stuart Hayton and Martyn Glover all had very important roles and then obviously myself on the footballing side.
“We presented to his agent and his parents the best possible way for him and we convinced him that Leeds United is the best move for his career because he has to find a home where he gets regular first-team football.”