Chris Wood says one former Leeds United figure was massive for him, especially when fans gave him grief — Leeds United News 20/2/25
Harry Dimond
Chris Wood endured two highly successful seasons with Leeds
United and now he is one of the Premier League’s best.
The New Zealand international has become a top striker in
the Premier League, and his 44 goals with Leeds will have nurtured him into the
player he is today.
After he was sold to Burnley in 2017 for £15 million, Leeds
were interested in signing Wood during 2022 after he found himself out of
favour at Newcastle United.
Nevertheless, he picked himself back up and didn’t return to
Leeds, instead opting for a move to Nottingham Forest, where Wood now has 17
goals in the top flight this season.
Despite not returning to Leeds, he owes a lot to a former
Whites figure who played a vital role in his form now.
Leeds fans could’ve told Forest fans what they were getting
prior to Wood signing at the City Ground.
The Whites faithful may have felt hard done by during their
interest in the striker, as Wood had no intention of leaving Newcastle.
It’s disappointing as Wood probably owes Leeds one after his
rise under former coach James Beattie.
Beattie was a vital part of Leeds’ backroom staff in the
2016/17 season and played a massive role in Wood scoring 27 goals in the
Championship that campaign.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the 33-year-old spoke on how he
received a lot of stick at Elland Road, but also how Beattie turned that around
for him.
“I think Beats (Beattie) had a big influence on my career,”
Wood said.
“There were times when the fans were on my back at the start
of the season.
“James really helped out both on the pitch and off the
pitch.
“He gave me mental strength to get through anything.”
How Beattie gave Wood his most important skill at Leeds
Jesse Marsch enquired for Wood at Leeds, as the former
Whites boss clearly had a good eye for talent.
If Beattie had his say, the striker would no doubt have made
a return to Leeds, as Wood is firing on all cylinders under Nuno Espirito
Santo.
However, as much as Espirito Santo’s work at Forest has
helped him, Beattie was the one who gave him his key skill which makes him a
nuisance for Premier League defenders.
Continuing on the interview (6:00) Beattie said: “We worked
on various things to help him become more effective.
“He was playing the role of a single striker, and he was
getting frustrated because he wasn’t seeing the ball much.
“One of the things I spoke to him about was using his frame
and physicality – which helped with ball retention.
“He was a gentle giant.”
So despite having the best season of his career at Forest,
Wood actually learned his craft at Elland Road.