Former Newcastle United striker Les Ferdinand admits he was not best pleased by Yoane Wissa’s behaviour before his dramatic move to the club.
Newcastle United signed Wissa on deadline day for around £55million as Eddie Howe revamped his attacking options at St James’ Park.
Indeed, the club had already broken their transfer record to sign Nick Woltemade a few days before Wissa’s arrival, while they eventually sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool for a British record sum.
Wissa is a hugely important signing for Newcastle, there’s little doubt about it. While the price tag may seem steep for a player approaching 30 and who will miss games due to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, Howe desperately needed him.
With Woltemade still relatively inexperienced, it was vital for Newcastle that a striker boasting significant Premier League experience was signed alongside the German international.
Still, and while signing the DR Congo international was a huge positive, Ferdinand has expressed some reservations about how the move came about.
- Who is Yoane Wissa? Newcastle United’s £55m Alexander Isak replacement
Les Ferdinand unhappy with Yoane Wissa’s conduct
As Isak was pushing to leave Newcastle, Wissa was doing the same with Brentford.
He too went on a self-imposed exile from the first-team, while Wissa deleted references to Brentford on his Instagram page.
Like Isak, Wissa released a statement criticising Brentford, claiming he’d been told he was allowed to leave if suitable offers emerged.
That feels like the key difference in regard to Isak’s situation before he left Newcastle. Though the striker is thought to have told Howe he wanted to depart, there are reportedly doubts as to whether he was given a guarantee.
However, that’s not to completely excuse Wissa. It was a summer dominated by player power and, ultimately, both he and Isak got what they wanted.
Ferdinand backed Wissa to succeed at St James’ but admitted he needed to hit the ground running, while suggesting he wasn’t too keen on how he acted before the big move.
Speaking to The Chronicle, ex-Toon star Ferdinand said: “Wissa is of an age now where he is ready to take on the No 9 shirt.
“Wissa has had a couple of good years now in the Premier League with Brentford scoring goals.
| Premier League statistics | Yoane Wissa |
| Games | 137 |
| Goals | 45 |
| Assists | 13 |
| Game-winning goals | 11 |
“OK, perhaps he is not the traditional centre-forward or no.9 you would think about wearing the no.9 for Newcastle, but I am sure he will go there and thrive.
“I am still of the opinion that I am not sure I liked the way he went about things. The same way I didn’t like the way Isak went about things, but that is by the by now.
“It’s done and dusted so it is about, from a Newcastle point of view, Wissa needs to get his head down and score goals.
“He has proven that he can score goals in the Premier League and he seems pretty confident that he can do it at Newcastle on a regular basis, it’s exactly what we need.”
Why Newcastle United spent so much money on Yoane Wissa
Clearly, all will be forgotten about the price tag involved and what Wissa had to do to get to Newcastle if he scores goals.
Paying one of the biggest fees in club history for a player approaching 30 is hardly ideal in a world dominated by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Wissa boasts little resale value but, frankly, the club do not have much time to care about that.
They needed someone to ease the burden on Woltemade and, having scored 45 goals in 137 Premier League games, Wissa should do exactly that.
Interestingly, Howe pushed Newcastle to sign Wissa for big money, such was his desire to land a player who can make an immediate impact.
Ferdinand is right, his conduct before leaving Brentford did leave a lot to be desired. That will quickly fade into the distant past if Wissa does the business on Tyneside, however.
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