Former Newcastle United manager Sam Allardyce has revealed he isn’t best pleased with something Yoane Wissa has done.
Newcastle United made Yoane Wissa their final signing of the summer transfer window, recruiting the striker with seconds to spare on deadline day.
Eddie Howe desperately needed another striker signing after Newcastle had relented and allowed Alexander Isak to join Liverpool for a record British transfer fee.
Newcastle had targeted Wissa earlier in the window with an initial £25m bid, but were put off by Brentford’s high asking price.
Ultimately, they caved to those demands, too, and ended up paying £55m for Wissa as they scrambled to sign a striker before the window closed.
For his part, Wissa was desperate to make the move as soon as he learned of Newcastle’s interest. Just like Isak, Wissa refused to play for Brentford in a bid to force through his exit, which eventually worked.
Sam Allardyce has revealed he isn’t a fan of that sort of conduct.
- Who is Yoane Wissa? Newcastle United’s £55m Alexander Isak replacement
Sam Allardyce didn’t like Yoane Wissa’s conduct before Newcastle transfer
Wissa’s Brentford exit had echoes of Isak’s departure, with the striker releasing his own lengthy statement on Instagram.
Wissa made it clear he wanted to leave the club and claimed that Brentford had gone back on an agreement to allow him to leave if a suitable offer was made.
Wissa had also refused to play for the Bees in pre-season and in the opening fixtures of the Premier League.
It’s an approach that Allardyce, who was speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, isn’t a fan of.
The former Toon boss said: “Done well, scored goals. And a really, really good season why Newcastle splashed out the sort of money they splashed out eventually.
“The only thing I didn’t like about him is staying at home. I don’t like anybody that stays at home and refuses to come in and train.”
Though they eventually paid well over what they wanted to, Wissa’s goal return for Brentford does make him an ideal Isak replacement, especially when coupled with Nick Woltemade.
When will Yoane Wissa play for Newcastle United?
The frustrating thing for Newcastle is that after all the drama and paying over the odds, Wissa has not been able to even kick a ball at St. James’ Park yet.
After enjoying a near spotless injury record while at Brentford, Wissa suffered a blow immediately after signing for Newcastle on international duty with DR Congo in September.
The knee injury was only supposed to keep him out for around a month, but Wissa has now suffered a setback and will be out for eight weeks.
Howe said last week: “Yoane saw a specialist again yesterday for a check-up on his knee. We probably think now it’ll be eight weeks rather than six. No recurrence or problem, just slightly longer.”
That puts Wissa’s return date at around November 2, if no further setbacks are suffered. That date would see him return for three games before the November international break, and then it won’t be long until Wissa leaves for AFCON in mid-December.
Wissa will have to hit the ground running when he’s back fit for Newcastle to feel like they haven’t wasted a lot of money.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
