Newcastle United signed Yoane Wissa from Brentford for £55million on deadline day.
Brentford sporting director Phil Giles has called Yoane Wissa an "infectious character” who is “positive around the players” following his Newcastle United move.
Toon chiefs swooped to sign the DR Congo international after sanctioning Alexander Isak’s exit to Liverpool. Both transfer sagas received heavy media coverage throughout the summer for how the players forced their respective exits.
Ultimately, both strikers got the moves they wanted - with Wissa taking the iconic No.9 shirt at the Magpies. Brentford chief Giles - born in Gosforth and is a lifelong Newcastle fan - has told his boyhood club what to expect.
Phil Giles on Yoane Wissa
“It’s been an interesting last few days and in fact, an interesting last few weeks,” Giles told Brentford’s club website. “The big story is selling Yoane Wissa. He was a fantastic player for us, started off playing wide and evolved to take on the No.9 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.”
Brentford transfer window
A turbulent summer also saw talisman Bryan Mbeumo join Manchester United. Reflecting on the window Giles believes the Bees made the best decisions for the club.
“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,” he added. “You have got to take the emotions out of it and, 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. To some extent, it’s been no more difficult than many other transfer windows personally. It maybe just slipped out publicly a little bit more this time than normal, so people got a bit more insight into how things tend to play out.”
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Yoane Wissa’s first words
Wissa said after the move: “I’m really happy to be here and to sign for one of the biggest clubs in thePremier League. I’m very, very excited to put on the black and white shirt. I’ve got dreams, I’ve got faith, and now I will do my best to make it all happen. I can’t wait to get started.”
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