Newcastle to put £55m flop Yoanne Wissa on transfer list after just one season

Wissa arrived at St James’ Park with high expectations, inheriting the iconic No.9 shirt previously worn by legends like Alan Shearer. However, the move has quickly turned into a nightmare for both the player and the club. Signed from Brentford on deadline day in September as a reaction to Alexander Isak’s departure to Liverpool, Wissa has failed to replicate the form that made him a standout player in west London last season.

The 29-year-old’s season was derailed before it even truly began. A knee injury suffered on international duty meant he did not make his competitive debut until December. Since then, he has managed just 24 appearances for Newcastle and has been largely relegated to the bench, starting only one of the Magpies' last 16 fixtures with only three goals to his name.

According to The Athletic, Newcastle intend to actively explore offloading Wissa during the upcoming summer transfer window. Despite the significant investment made only eight months ago, the Newcastle board is willing to sanction a sale even if it means accepting a huge loss.

Wissa remains on a long-term contract and has expressed a desire to stay and fight for his place, but the club’s hierarchy appears to have different plans. With Newcastle currently sitting 14th in the Premier League and facing a season without European football, the need to rebalance the squad and comply with financial regulations has become a priority ahead of the summer window.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has been supportive in public, acknowledging the hurdles Wissa has faced during his first year in the North East. Speaking ahead of the team's clash with Brighton, Howe noted that the stop-start nature of Wissa's season has made it impossible to see his true quality. The manager remains optimistic about the player's talent but stopped short of guaranteeing his future at the club.

Howe said: “The most difficult part for Yoane is that he got back fit, there was a huge feeling inside of him that he wanted to rush back and show everybody how good he is, but we haven’t been able to train him in the way we normally would. It was very stop-start and we didn’t see the best of him. I think a pre-season would really show the best of him.”

The pursuit of Wissa was a secondary option for Newcastle last summer after the club failed to land primary targets such as Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike, and Jorgen Strand Larsen. The deal was struck at the end of the window without a sporting director or chief executive in place, a structural vacuum that David Hopkinson and Ross Wilson have since filled. Now, the new-look recruitment team is looking to correct what is increasingly seen as an expensive panic buy.

As the 2025-26 campaign draws to a close, the focus on Tyneside has shifted toward a total squad overhaul. The club is already evaluating new striker options to provide competition and reliable goalscoring. For Wissa, the final games of the season may serve as a final audition, either to convince Howe he deserves another chance or to put himself in the shop window for a move away from St James' Park.

Click here to read article