Leeds United scored big with Leicester City deal that made the Whites £12m profit: View | OneFootball

Chris Wood turned out to be a very good signing for Leeds United during a difficult period for the club.

Leeds United endured a very miserable period following their relegation from the Premier League in 2004.

After suffering relegation from the Premier League, the Whites nearly bounced back at the second attempt before losing a play-off final to Watford. Then, real embarrassment followed as the club dropped to the third tier.

It took three years for Leeds to return to the Championship, and they made a fist of back-to-back promotions in the 2010/11 campaign, although they fell short as they failed to reach the top six.

What came next was another poor period in Leeds’ history, which tied in with the eccentric Massimo Cellino buying the club.

Chris Wood was a rare positive for Leeds United

Those years will be remembered for bizarre decisions, wasted money and little progress on the pitch.

However, among the terrible signings and poor players to pull on the white shirt, Leeds did get one deal right - as they bought Chris Wood from Leicester City in a deal worth up to £3m.

The New Zealand international has gone on to prove himself as a good Premier League striker, but upon his arrival at Elland Road, there were doubts over Wood’s ability.

He had been on various loan spells from Leicester, with mixed success, and he hadn’t got the minutes he would’ve wanted with the Foxes.

Therefore, the switch to Leeds was a crucial one for Wood, and it turned out to be the move that kick-started his career.

During his first season at the club, Wood ended up as top scorer, although he only managed to find the net 13 times in the league.

Chris Wood couldn’t fire Leeds United to the Premier League

Yet, after Garry Monk’s appointment, Wood would take his game up a level, and he enjoyed an outstanding 2016/17 campaign, where he scored 27 times in the Championship.

Despite his efforts, Leeds would end up seventh in the table, meaning they would have to endure another year outside the elite.

Unsurprisingly, given Wood’s output, a summer move was always a possibility, and it was Burnley who would eventually sign the target man.

Chris Wood transfer worked out for Leeds United

Wood’s departure did not go down well with the Leeds fans at the time, and you can understand why.

They are a big club, and it was hoped that he would be able to spearhead another promotion push, but the player wanted to go to Burnley, and the fact he has only played in the Premier League since indicates he made the right call.

From Leeds’ perspective, it should also be recognised as a transfer they got right, and the sort of deal they should be trying to do - even to this day.

The recruitment team at Leeds had identified a relatively young player who had room for development, and they enjoyed two productive years with Wood before he left for a fee in the region of £15m, which was five times what they paid for him.

Ultimately, Leeds didn’t really use the money wisely, but the Wood money should’ve left them in a position of strength to kick-on, and was undoubtedly one of their better deals in a turbulent time.