Newcastle United new boy Yoane Wissaplaceholder image
Newcastle United new boy Yoane Wissa | Getty Images, Newcastle United
Yoane Wissa: How many games will Newcastle United’s new signing miss due to AFCON?
The 29-year-old is one of Newcastle’s most expensive ever signings behind Nick Woltemade, Alexander Isak, Anthony Elanga and Sandro Tonali.
The deal also saw The Magpies smash their transfer record for a player over the age of 25, which stood at £25million paid to Burnley for Chris Wood back in 2022.
While Wissa brings Premier League experience and quality to Newcastle’s side, having scored 19 league goals for Brentford last season, there are some potential drawbacks to the transfer.
Wissa is currently away on international duty with DR Congo, scoring and grabbing an assist in a 4-1 win over South Sudan on Friday.
But he has not played a match at club level since the back end of last season, missing the opening three games of the Premier League campaign amid the transfer interest from Newcastle. He is also set to miss another chunk of matches during the busiest part of the season.
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Yoane Wissa set for AFCON
Wissa is set to go away with the DR Congo national team for the African Cup of Nations between December and January.
DR Congo’s first group stage game will take place on December 23 against Benin in Morocco. The group stages matches will run through to December 30.
As a result, Wissa will miss a minimum of three Premier League matches against Chelsea, Manchester United and Burnley.
Should DR Congo progress to the knockout stages, he would also miss the home match against Crystal Palace and potentially Leeds United as well. Progress to the quarter-finals would rule Wissa out of Newcastle’s FA Cup third-round tie while progressing to the semi-final would rule him out of the visit to Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 17.
In that situation, Wissa would also be a doubt for Newcastle’s Champions League tie against PSV Eindhoven which takes place on January 21, three days after the AFCON final and four days after the third-place play-off.
Overall, Wissa will miss a minimum of three matches for Newcastle but could miss up to eight matches if DR Congo progress to the latter stages of the tournament.
Yoane Wissa reacts to Newcastle United transfer
As it happens, Wissa is currently away on international duty with DR Congo but will be back available for Newcastle for their next Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at St James’ Park on September 13 (3pm kick-off).
Following confirmation of his move, Wissa told the Newcastle club website: “I’m really happy to be here and to sign for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier 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.”
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe added: “Yoane is a player who we have admired for some time and we’re delighted to have him on board.
“He brings proven Premier League quality, demonstrated not only by his goalscoring output but also the crucial work he does for the team.
“Yoane’s style of play will excite our supporters and complement our style of play - he has pace, power and an excellent work rate. He immediately makes us stronger.”
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