Why Leeds losing Chris Wood to Burnley has actually been a good thing

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When Chris Wood left Leeds for Burnley it could have been a disaster, but it seems to be turning out to actually be a positive.

Chris Wood of Burnley celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the Premier League match against Crystal Palace.

Last season Chris Wood finished as the Championship’s topscorer, netting 27 goals and therefore being directly responsible for almost half of Leeds United’s 61 in total.

As a result, the news that the striker was joining Premier League side Burnley on August 21 for a £15m fee (BBC) could have justifiably been greeted with some concern.

Leeds United players celebrate after scoring the second goal during the Sky Bet Championship match against Nottingham Forest.

The one player they had been so reliant on for goals was now gone, with Kyle Bartley, Souleymane Doukara and Pablo Hernandez having been the next highest scorers in 2016/17 with six apiece.

Yet under new head coach Thomas Christiansen, so far those fears have been put to one side, with Leeds plundering five past Burton Albion in a 5-0 victory on Saturday to move them up to second place. No team in the English second tier has scored more league goals than their 12 in 2017/18 and perhaps more importantly, they are being shared out.

Thomas Christiansen, manager of Leeds United.

Pierre-Michel Lasogga became their ninth different scorer already this campaign when he made it a debut to remember since joining the Yorkshire club on loan from Hamburg when he opened the scoring on 20 minutes. That tally became ten later in the game when Hernandez opened his account for the season.

They only had 12 different scorers in the league in total last term.

Kemar Roofe – also on target against the Brewers – is joint topscorer alongside new signing Samuel Saiz with five each. Kalvin Phillips has three. Goals are coming from all over the pitch, meaning when one player is struggling there is usually someone else to step up.

It is still early days, but the signs are promising and while probably disappointing at the time, losing Wood could actually prove to be a blessing in disguise.