**Newcastle United paid £55 million for the services of Yoane Wissa on transfer deadline day, and the DR Congo has yet to kick a ball in anger for his new club.**
Despite limited training during the summer, thanks to Wissa downing tools to force through his move to Newcastle, the 29-year-old headed off to represent his country during the international break that immediately followed the closing of the transfer window.
Wissa scored two goals and got an assist during the game and a half he managed to play, but had to come off during the second game after injuring his knee, and he has not played ever since.
He was expected to have been back in contention by now, but a setback has pushed his return date back to November. Wissa is expected to be back in the squad next week when Newcastle face West Ham United.
> [](https://twitter.com/SkySports_Keith/status/1981641481988256132)
Eddie Howe says Yoane Wissa will need a six-week 'pre-season' training regime
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While Wissa is still on track to meet that return date, Eddie Howe has asked for patience when he returns, saying he's going to need a 'six-week pre-season' as reported by Keith Downie via X.
> 🚨 Eddie Howe says Yoane Wissa is going to need a 6-week “pre-season” training regime when he returns from his knee injury. 🇨🇩 Howe says that doesn’t mean he won’t play during that time, but patience is going to be required with the forward.
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> 👨🏻⚕️ The 29-year-old saw a specialist for a check-up yesterday and is still on track to be back in the squad within the next two weeks.
Who will be Newcastle's main striker when Yoane Wissa is fit?
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Yoane Wissa's return can't come soon enough. Nick Woltemade has been nothing short of magnificent since he was thrown in the deep end at Newcastle, but the reality is, he's still finding his feet in the Premier League.
Wissa being around to lighten the load and prevent burnout is definitely what is needed right now. It will also give Eddie Howe that much-needed different option when the team are being goal-shy.
What's going to be interesting is seeing who gets the nod to lead the line when both strikers are fully fit. We'd all assumed that Wissa would be the main man this season, but Woltemade has staked his claim brilliantly in Wissa's absence, and that plan may now have changed.