Newcastle United transfer news: Yoane Wissa was again not involved for Brentford against Aston Villa on Saturday.
Keith Andrews opted again to leave striker Yoane Wissa out of his starting line-up for Brentford’s clash against Aston Villa on Saturday. Wissa was left out entirely by Andrews for Brentford’s return to the Gtech Community Stadium, just like he was six days prior for their defeat against Nottingham Forest.
However, unlike that opening weekend defeat, Wissa had trained with his teammates ahead of the clash with the Villains. Footage of the DR Congo international with Andrews’ first-team squad was posted on Instagram by the Bees on Thursday, leading to talk that he may be in-line for his first start of the campaign.
Speaking on Friday, Andrews admitted that he would make a late call on Wissa’s participation, stating: “He’s been training with the team, clearly. In terms of being involved this weekend, I’ll make a decision on the squad tomorrow but he has been part of the group this week.”
However, when Andrews’ second teamsheet of the season was released 75 minutes before kick-off in west London, it showed that Wissa would not be given an opportunity to feature. Explaining his decision to Sky Sports ahead of the game, Andrews said: “I certainly think [this is the right team] for this game. I’m big into the team, the squad, everybody will compete for places.
“Some of it is on last weekend, some of it looking towards the opposition but I believe it is the right team for this game for sure.”
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On Wissa he added: “It’s not the right thing to do to involve him in the squad. The team is always the priority in everything we do.
“It has to be the team. There has to be a focus on getting a result and I felt that was the right thing to do for the group to not involve Yoane.”
Newcastle United’s transfer interest in Yoane Wissa
With just over a week left of the summer transfer window to go, signing a striker remains top of Newcastle United’s priorities. Losing Callum Wilson earlier this window left a big hole in Eddie Howe’s squad that needs to be filled and Wissa, who netted 19 Premier League goals last season, would be a perfect replacement for the former Bournemouth man.
However, Brentford's stance that the DR Congo international is not for sale this summer has been well publicised and was reinforced earlier this week when they knocked back a fresh bid from Newcastle United. That bid was worth a reported £35m plus £5m in potential add-ons.
If a deal for Wissa cannot be agreed, then Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen has emerged as another potential option for the Magpies. Strand Larsen scored 14 goals during his debut campaign at Molineux but a deal for the Norwegian looks difficult to complete with Wolves, unsurprisingly, reluctant to lose their talisman so close to the summer transfer window closing.
Alexander Isak, meanwhile, remains unavailable for selection as he continues to train away from his Newcastle United teammates. The Swedish international hasn’t kicked a ball for the Magpies since the final day of last season.
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