Yoane Wissa is finally a Newcastle United player, but he is likely going to miss a significant chunk of the 2025-26 season due to AFCON.
The transfer window has closed and it was an eventful deadline day for Newcastle United, with the summer’s biggest sagas coming to a close.
Alexander Isak got his way after all and has signed for Liverpool, with Newcastle relenting on their demands and accepting £125m.
It’s still a British transfer record, though, and sets Newcastle up strongly to strengthen again in January if they need to.
There was only one new arrival on deadline day, with Yoane Wissa finally landing at St. James’ Park.
Like Isak, Wissa refused to play for Brentford in an attempt to force through the move, but it was only when Newcastle splashed out a huge £55m did the deal finally reach a breakthrough.
Wissa, alongside record signing Nick Woltemade, will hopefully make for good Isak replacements, but Newcastle will be without their new striker for a big chunk of the campaign as he will compete at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Here is when he will be away and the games he will miss.
Yoane Wissa celebrates after scoring in a Premier League game between Nottingham Forest and Brentford.
Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images
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When will Yoane Wissa be leaving Newcastle United for AFCON?
Wissa plays for DR Congo, who have qualified for the 2025 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, and will almost certainly be with the squad in Morocco.
AFCON gets underway on December 21, but players will link up with their nations before that to prepare for the tournament.
By the rules, clubs must release players 14 days before an international tournament begins, but there is typically wriggle room to allow some stars to remain with their sides for longer.
If the rule is enforced, Wissa would be away from December 7, which would see him miss the Champions League trip to Bayer Leverkusen and the Tyne-Wear derby at the Stadium of Light.
However, there’s a strong chance he’ll be able to stay with the squad until a week before the tournament kicks off, leaving after the game at Sunderland.
Newcastle United will be without Yoane Wissa for an important part of the season
Should Wissa depart on December 14, then he is only guaranteed to miss three fixtures, but they are big ones.
The striker will definitely miss home games against Chelsea and Burnley, as well as a trip to Manchester United.
If DR Congo are knocked out at the group stages, then the last fixture is December 30, but even then, the January 3 match at home to Crystal Palace may come too soon for him.
How many games Wissa misses after that will depend on how far DR Congo goes in the competition, but the list could stretch to as big as eight.
They are:
Games Yoane Wisssa could miss for Newcastle during AFCON Date
Newcastle vs Chelsea December 20
Manchester United vs Newcastle December 27
Newcastle vs Burnley December 30
Newcastle vs Crystal Palace January 3
Newcastle vs Leeds United January 7
FA Cup third round tie January 10
Wolves vs Newcastle January 17
Newcastle vs PSV Eindhoven January 21
Games Yoane Wissa could miss for Newcastle United
The AFCON final will be held on January 18 in Rabat. If DR Congo were to make it that far, then it’s difficult to see Wissa being back in time for the return of the Champions League on January 21 against PSV.
If Wissa were to miss such a significant chunk of the campaign, then it would be a massive blow for Newcastle at a crucial stage of the season.