Nathan Wood (footballer, born 2002)

For the Welsh footballer, see Nathan Wood (footballer, born 1997).

Nathan Wood

Personal information
Full name	Nathan Dean Joshua Wood-Gordon [1]
Date of birth	(2002-05-31) 31 May 2002 (age 22) [2]
Place of birth	Ingleby Barwick, England [3]
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) [4]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Southampton
Number	15
Youth career
	TIBS
0000–2015	Stockton Town
2015–2018	Middlesbrough
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2022	Middlesbrough	5	(0)
2021	→ Crewe Alexandra (loan)	12	(0)
2021	→ Hibernian (loan)	1	(0)
2022–2024	Swansea City	66	(1)
2024–	Southampton	0	(0)
International career‡
2016–2017	England U15
2017–2018	England U16	1	(0)
2018–2019	England U17	8	(0)
2019	England U18	9	(0)
2021–	England U20	5	(0)
2023–	England U21	4	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:49, 27 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:08, 23 September 2024 (UTC)

Nathan Dean Joshua Wood-Gordon (born 31 May 2002), known professionally as Nathan Wood, is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Southampton.

Early life

Wood is the son of former Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough player Dean Gordon. ^[5] He came from an athletic background, having taken part in various sporting competitions throughout 2014 and 2015. ^{[6] [7]} Prior to joining the Middlesbrough academy squad in 2015, he played for TIBS and Stockton Town. ^[8]

He attended Conyers School in Yarm, this led to him featuring in the twelfth episode in the first series of the CBBC educational documentary series Our School in 2014, during this time he was in year 7, his first year in secondary school. ^[8]

Club career

Middlesbrough

On 1 July 2018, Wood signed professional terms with Middlesbrough. ^[3] He would become the club's youngest ever player to make a professional appearance, at 16 years and 72 days, replacing Daniel Ayala in an EFL Cup tie against Notts County on 14 August 2018. ^{[9] [10]}

On 1 February 2021, Wood joined League One side Crewe Alexandra on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. ^[11] He made his Crewe debut in a 2–1 defeat at Swindon Town on 20 February 2021. ^[12]

On 31 August 2021, Wood moved north of the border to join Scottish Premiership club Hibernian on a season-long loan deal. ^[13] On 16 October 2021, Wood made his debut for Hibernian, where he played the full game in a 3–0 loss against Dundee United. ^[14] On 25 November 2021, it was announced that Wood had returned to parent club Middlesbrough for the remainder of his loan spell until January 2022, having only featured once for Hibs. ^[15]

Swansea City

On 10 June 2022, Wood joined Swansea City on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[16] Wood's new manager Russell Martin was a long-term admirer and had previously tried to sign the defender when in charge of Milton Keynes Dons. ^[17]

Southampton

On 5 July 2024, Wood joined Premier League club Southampton on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee. ^[18] He made his debut for the club on 28 August 2024 in a 3–5 away victory against Cardiff City in the EFL Cup. ^[19]

International career

Wood has represented England at U15, U16, U17 and U18 level. ^{[2] [5] [20]}

On 6 September 2021, Wood made his debut for the England U20s during a 6–1 victory over Romania U20s at St. George's Park. ^[21]

On 28 March 2023, Wood made his England U21 debut during a 2–1 defeat to Croatia at Craven Cottage. ^[22]

Style of play

Wood is known to be a pacey player and has previously played as a left-midfielder as a result of this. ^[5] He recorded a 100m time of 13.07 seconds when he was aged 13. ^[7]

Career statistics

As of 17 September 2024 ^[4]

Club	Season	Division	League		National Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Middlesbrough	2018–19 [23]	Championship	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	3	0
	2019–20 [24]	Championship	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
	2020–21 [25]	Championship	4	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	7	0
	2021–22 [26]	Championship	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
	Total		5	0	2	0	7	0	0	0	14	0
Crewe Alexandra (loan)	2020–21 [25]	League One	12	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
Hibernian (loan)	2021–22 [26]	Scottish Premiership	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Swansea City	2022–23 [27]	Championship	40	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	43	0
	2023–24 [28]	Championship	26	1	2	0	1	0	0	0	29	1
	Total		66	1	4	0	2	0	0	0	72	1
Southampton	2024–25 [29]	Premier League	0	0	0	0	2	0	—		2	0
Overall			84	1	6	0	11	0	0	0	101	1

References

1. "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2019" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
2. "Nathan Wood". mfc.co.uk. Middlesbrough F.C. Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
3. "New Intakes Boost Academy". mfc.co.uk. Middlesbrough F.C. Archived from the original on 1 July 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
4. "N. Wood-Gordon: Summary". soccerway.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
5. "Nathan Wood Has Made Everyone At Boro Take Notice". thenorthernecho.co.uk. The Northern Echo. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
6. "Runners Profile". runbritainrankings.com. Run Britain. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
7. "Nathan Wood-Gordon". thepowerof10.info. thepowerof10. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
8. "Our School: Series 1 – Episode 12 – The Beautiful Game". YouTube . Retrieved 1 August 2022.
9. "Nathan Wood Becomes Boro's Youngest Ever Player". mfc.co.uk. Middlesbrough F.C. 15 August 2018. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
10. "Middlesbrough 3–3 Notts County". bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
11. "Nathan Wood: Crewe Alexandra sign Middlesbrough centre-back on loan". BBC Sport. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
12. "Swindon Town 2–1 Crewe Alexandra". BBC Sport. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
13. "Nathan Wood Joins Hibernian On Loan". www.hibernianfc.co.uk. 31 August 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023.
14. Southwick, Andrew (16 October 2021). "Hibernian 0–3 Dundee United". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
15. "Nathan Wood Returns To Middlesbrough". Hibernian FC. 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
16. "Nathan Wood seals Swansea City transfer". www.swanseacity.com. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
17. "Nathan Wood signing ends two-year pursuit for Swansea City boss Russell Martin". www.swanseacity.com. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
18. "Wood joins as latest summer signing". Southampton FC. 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
19. Mitchelmore, Ian (28 August 2024). "Cardiff City 3–5 Southampton". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
20. "Walker Bags Winner For Young Lions". mfc.co.uk. Middlesbrough F.C. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
21. "Six at SGP for MU20s". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
22. "Report: England MU21s 1–2 Croatia". EnglandFootball.com. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
23. "Games played by Nathan Wood in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
24. "Games played by Nathan Wood in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
25. "Games played by Nathan Wood in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
26. "Games played by Nathan Wood in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
27. "Games played by Nathan Wood in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
28. "Games played by Nathan Wood in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
29. "Games played by Nathan Wood in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 8 July 2024.

External links

• Nathan Wood at Soccerbase