Alexander Isak was not the only transfer saga that came to an end on deadline day, with Yoane Wissa joining Newcastle United.
For a long time, Newcastle United had looked destined to sign Yoane Wissa. However, delay after delay meant that negotiations dragged on until the final day of the transfer window.
Eventually, Newcastle signed Wissa with just 30 seconds to spare. He becomes one of Newcastle’s most expensive signings, costing £55million. It was a lot more than what the Magpies wanted to pay, but it was a case of needs must.
While Wissa’s conduct behind the scenes at Brentford was unacceptable, there is excitement surrounding his arrival at St James’ Park. Wissa really wants to be at Newcastle, and will wear the famous number nine shirt.
As for Brentford, they made the ‘right decision for the club’ according to director of football Phil Giles.
Yoane Wissa poses after signing for Newcastle United from Brentford.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Phil Giles did what is best for Brentford as Yoane Wissa joins Newcastle United
Following the closure of the transfer window, Giles spoke to Brentford’s official website.
He addressed Wissa’s move to Newcastle, admitting that the situation became much more public than he would have liked.
Regardless, Giles had nothing but positive words to say about Wissa for his impact on the pitch in a Brentford shirt.
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“The big story is selling Yoane Wissa,” he said.
“He was a fantastic player for us, started off playing wide and evolved to take on the number nine position and had a brilliant season last year.
“He was a really good, infectious character who was positive around the players and the fans. I personally liked him a lot as well, so there’s nothing but positive things to say about his performances on the pitch for us.
“Transfers are always complicated. There’s always a little bit of emotion, friction and dialogue. That normally stays in house but obviously this one spilled out. It’s not the only one this summer that has spilled out a little bit more into the public domain which is, from my point of view, not ideal.
“Nevertheless, it happened and we had to manage that. For me, fundamentally, when you have to make a decision about transfers, and complicated decisions – decisions which are impactful on the pitch and also off the pitch in terms of the club’s whole overall position -you need to stay focused on what is the right decision for the club, not whether it’s in public or not in public.
“You have got to take the emotions out of it and got to ultimately make the decisions for the club. Every decision I make or we make collectively during a transfer window will strip all of the emotion out of it and focus purely on what is the right decision in this moment in time for the club overall.”
Yoane Wissa’s message to Brentford after joining Newcastle United
Wissa’s departure from Brentford was messy.
He did not feature for them during pre-season, while also deleting any mention of the Bees from his social media accounts. He eventually released a statement, claiming he had been given assurances that he could leave Brentford this summer.
That happened on deadline day, which resulted in the 29-year-old issuing a goodbye message to the Brentford fans on Instagram.
Alongside a video of his best moments, Wissa wrote: “See you soon. Love and respect will always be there from me. Thank you. Wiss.”
Brentford released a short statement on Wissa confirming his departure. It was very similar to Newcastle’s statement on Isak joining Liverpool.
Both players acted incredibly poorly behind the scenes, yet both got their wish in the end. Now it is time for all parties to move on, as Wissa starts his new adventure as Newcastle’s number nine.