Chris Wood admits he NEVER thought £25m release clause would be triggered as Gary Lineker slams ‘mad’ Newcastle transfer

CHRIS WOOD admits he did not expect anyone to trigger his £25million Clarets release clause.

Newcastle swooped to poach the Burnley striker from their relegation rivals, with Gary Lineker blasting the ‘mad fee’.

Wood is now the most expensive player aged 30 or over in Premier League history, but the Kiwi told his doubters he will be worth every penny if he fires Toon to safety.

Wood, 30, signed a 2½-year deal after the Magpies activated the clause in his Clarets’ contract.

And he said: “I don’t think anyone ever thought it would be triggered.

“You’re only as good as what the club wants to pay for you. If that’s what Newcastle thought I was worth, then that’s how it is.

“You never know, in six months you could look back and say it’s a great deal and it would all be worth it.

“In that sense, the number on the deal doesn’t bother me.

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“I don’t feel too old — I have a lot more to give and am in the prime of my life.”

However, Wood has been warned by crocked striker Callum Wilson that there is only one king on Tyneside. As the battle commences to be Toon’s top marksman, Wilson insists Wood’s arrival  will bring out the ‘dog’ in him.

Wilson is Newcastle’s leading scorer with six goals, but faces another seven weeks out with a calf injury.

And he declared: “I want to make sure I’m in the best place possible for that return, especially now with new competition coming in the door.

“They need to see who’s king when I step back on the grass.

“It’s going to be good to have new bodies in the building — it’s going to bring out the dog in me.”

Speaking to the Footballer’s Football podcast, Wilson added: “I’m going to come back with a different mentality, but that’s what you need.

“We’ll be bringing in plenty of strikers throughout the next few years and it’s enjoyable.

“While I’m out injured, you’re not going to get a better striker in the bottom half of the league than Chris Wood.”

The New Zealand international got the call to travel to Newcastle after training with Burnley on Tuesday, leaving the Clarets furious at losing their top striker to a relegation rival.

But Wood said: “You’ve got to go with what your gut says. I was very comfortable and settled there. But nothing great or extraordinary happens in your comfort zone so, to take my game to the next level, challenging myself at a massive club like Newcastle was a no-brainer.

“I wish I left when Burnley were further up the league but nobody can plan these things.

“For me, there is no bad blood.

“An opportunity like this doesn’t come along often. The club and manager Eddie Howe pushed so hard to get me. I felt wanted.

“There is nothing better than being loved as a striker so I thought it was the right time for a new challenge.”

Wood has scored just three goals this season but reached double figures in each of his last four campaigns at Turf Moor having joined from Leeds in 2017.

He is set to be thrown in from the start by Howe against Watford on Saturday.

 Newcastle are now focusing on adding two centre-backs.

They are pushing for Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, but the LaLiga side are reluctant to sell, even if the defender is keen on a move that would see him triple his £40,000-a-week wages.

And Newcastle have been told they must pay £37.5m for Fiorentina Serb international defender Nikola Milenkovic, 24.

Howe will be wheeling and dealing towards the end of the transfer window from Saudi Arabia, with his squad set to travel there for a training camp on January 22.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk