All Whites striker Chris Wood signed for Burnley overnight. Photo / Photosport.
All Whites striker Chris Wood signed for Burnley overnight. Photo / Photosport.
By Alex McLeod
Since England's top-flight football division became what it is now a quarter of a century ago, six New Zealanders have had the honour of plying their trade for a Premier League team.
In the wake of Chris Wood's transfer to Burnley from Championship side Leeds United, we profile the six Kiwis who have set foot in what is widely regarded as the best domestic football competition on the planet.
Former Blackburn Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen. Photo / Getty Images.
The All Whites legend is the New Zealander with the most Premier League experience, having made nearly 200 league appearances during a nine-year Premier League career.
The former centre-back was signed by Blackburn Rovers from MLS club DC United on a free transfer in January 2005. Nelsen made his league debut in a 1-0 win against Portsmouth on January 15 at Fratton Park.
From there, he went on to become a club icon, captaining the side between 2007 and 2010 and scoring eight league goals - the first New Zealander to do so in the Premier League.
After recovering from a knee injury that kept him out of the majority of the 2010-11 season, Nelsen moved away from a struggling Blackburn outfit to join Premier League powerhouses Tottenham on a six-month deal in February 2012.
He came off the bench to make his debut for Tottenham in a 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle at White Hart Lane on February 11, the first of five Premier League outings Nelsen would make with the north London club.
Following cameo league appearances against Stoke City, Norwich City, Bolton Wanderers, and Fulham, Nelsen left Spurs and moved south-west to fellow London club Queens Park Rangers in June 2012.
He made 21 appearances for QPR during his seven-month stint at Loftus Road, captaining the side on 10 occassions, and scored his only goal against Wigan Athletic in a 2-2 draw at DW Stadium on December 8.
After signing to become manager of MLS club Toronto FC in January 2013, Nelsen played in his final-ever professional football match in a 0-0 draw against Manchester City at Loftus Road on January 29.
His professional playing career came to a close with a guard of honour from his teammates.
Winston Reid
Club(s): West Ham United (2010-present, 150 appearances, 6 goals)
All Whites: 21 appearances (2010-present, 1 goal)
Winston Reid in action for West Ham. Photo / Getty Images.
Prior to the completion of Chris Wood's transfer to Burnley overnight, Winston Reid was the only active New Zealander currently playing in the Premier League.
The All Whites captain signed for West Ham United for €4.2 million from FC Midtjylland in 2010, and is the second most experienced experienced Kiwi to have played Premier League football, having made 150 league appearances since his debut against Aston Villa.
That number would be higher had West Ham not been relegated to the Championship for the 2011-12 season.
Reid scored his first Premier League goal on September 1, 2012 during a 3-0 win over Fulham at the Boelyn Ground.
Since then, the former Denmark age-grade representative has gone on to score five more times in the Premier League, including the final ever West Ham goal to be scored at the Boelyn Ground in an emotional 3-2 win over Manchester United.
Reid has captained the north-east London club on nine occassions in the Premier League, and has only ever faced a fellow New Zealander in the league once - against Ryan Nelsen during a 2-1 win over QPR at Loftus Road on October 1, 2012.
Simon Elliott in action for Fulham in 2007. Photo / Getty Images.
Despite being the third most experienced Kiwi to have played Premier League football, Simon Elliott's contribution to England's top domestic competition was far less than that of both Ryan Nelsen and Winston Reid.
Elliott signed for west London club Fulham from MLS side Columbus Crew on a free transfer in January 2006.
The former All Whites midfielder made his Premier League debut against Newcastle in a 1-0 win at Craven Cottage on January 14.
He went on to make a further 11 appearances throughout the 2005/06 season for The Cottagers, including outings against juggernauts such as Manchester United and Arsenal.
Despite signing on with the club until the end of the 2007/08 campaign, a calf injury ruled him out for the entirity of that season.
As a result, Fulham released Elliott in May 2008, before signing with the San Jose Earthquakes in January 2009.
Club(s): West Bromwich Albion (2009-10, 2 appearances), Leicester City (2014, 7 appearances, 1 goal), Burnley (2017-present)
All Whites: 52 appearances (2009-present, 20 goals)
Chris Wood during his Premier League debut for West Brom against Portsmouth in 2009. Photo / Getty Images.
Chris Wood has made his return to the Premier League after signing a $26 million deal with Burnley from Leeds United overnight, more than nine years since he made his debut in the competition.
Wood's first appearance on a Premier League pitch came on May 24, 2009, almost a year after his move from the now defunct New Zealand Premiership side Waikato FC.
On that day, Wood made a one minute cameo appearance from the bench as a 17-year-old in a 0-0 draw against Blackburn at Ewood Park on the final day of the 2008/09 season.
It was more than a year later when Wood made his second Premier League appearance, following relegation and promotion to and from the second-tier Championship during the 2009/10 season.
His second appearance was a slightly longer eight minute showing from off the bench in a 1-0 loss to Liverpool on August 29, 2010 at Anfield.
A series of loan spells at various lower league clubs forced a move away from West Brom, with Wood signing for Championship side Leicester City in January 2013.
Wood helped The Foxes secure promotion to the Premier League ahead of the 2014-15 season, a campaign he only played a small part in.
His first Premier League match in four years was a 2-2 draw against Everton at the King Power Stadium on August 16, 2014. The match is of some significance for Wood, as it is the fixture he scored his only Premier League goal to date.
With a lack of game time resulted in a move back down to the Championship with Leeds United. It was with them that Leeds found the form of his career, scoring 30 goals for the club in all competitions last year.
This caught the eye of Burnley manager Sean Dyche, and as of last night, Wood signed with The Clarets for his third crack at the Premier League. He is in line to make his league debut for the club this weekend against Tottenham at Wembley Stadium.
Danny Hay up against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of Manchester United. Photo / Getty Images.
Similarly to Simon Elliott, Hay's contribution to the Premier League was minimal throughout the three seasons he was with Leeds United.
Hay signed with Leeds from Perth Glory in a €280,000 deal in July 1999, making his league debut for the club in a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road on October 16.
He played in four more matches against Tottenham, Manchester United, Bradford City and Liverpool the following season, but a string of injuries prevented the defender from making any further appearances.
Perhaps the most notable fixture he took part in during his time with Leeds was his four-minute appearance against Barcelona during his side's 4-0 defeat in the 2000/01 Champions League group stage.
He was offloaded to Walsall FC in July 2002 on a free transfer.
Lee Norfolk
Club(s): Ipswich Town (1995, 3 appearances)
All Whites: 0 appearances
Lee Norfolk in action for Ipswich. Photo / Twitter.
Possibly the lowest-profile name on this list was also the first New Zealander ever to play in the Premier League.
Lee Norfolk made his Premier League debut for Ipswich Town as a 19-year-old in a 2-1 win over Southampton at Portman Road on February 25, 1995.
He went on to make only two more appearances during his brief Premier League career, taking the field against Newcastle United and Coventry City later in the 1994/95 season.
Norfolk was eventually let go by Ipswich in 1997, joining North Shore United upon release. He is the only Kiwi Premier League player to have never been capped by the All Whites.
