Keith Andrews believes Brentford 'did well' in Yoane Wissa to Newcastle United saga
Brentford boss Keith Andrews spoke openly about Yoane Wissa’s move to Newcastle United as they prepare to meet each other in the Premier League this weekend.
Brentford currently sit one place above Newcastle in the Premier League table and will be hoping to create a gap between themselves and the Magpies when they host Eddie Howe’s side at the Gtech Community Stadium.
One of the most protracted deals of the summer included both sides, as one of last season’s most prolific forwards, Yoane Wissa, pushed for a move from the London side to the North East. The DR Congo international bagged 20 goals in all competitions for Brentford, 19 of those coming in the league and he also provided four assists. This outstanding form saw Wissa catch the eye of a number of teams who had him on their radar this summer.
After missing out on Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool, Howe needed attacking reinforcements with Alexander Isak’s high-profile saga looking like it would eventually come to a conclusion. And most dramatically in the final moments of transfer deadline day, Wissa moved to Newcastle, and Isak got his move to Anfield.
The former Brentford forward has failed to get going at St James’ Park owing to a knee injury he picked up in the summer and will be out for the first game back at the Gtech this weekend, and Andrews believes his club “did pretty well” in selling the now 29-year-old in a deal worth up to £55m.
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When asked about Wissa missing the game this weekend, Andrews said, “Wissa is a very good player, so I am not too displeased that he is not going to be available because it's the nature of competing against teams. “Around the transfer window, I was glad when it was closed; it wasn't enjoyable for a lot of people, I would imagine. I think the nature of that deal in particular - there was a lot made around certain aspects of it.
“Ultimately, they paid a really good fee for a player of a certain age, a really good player, but I think we as a club did pretty well out of that."
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Andrews on Brentford team news
One player who is definitely set for a long spell on the sidelines is midfielder Antoni Milambo, who underwent surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction on Tuesday.
Speaking about Milambo, Andrews said, "I've just seen Antoni Milambo around an hour ago, he's on crutches but looks good. The operation went well, so we'll look after Antoni and make sure he gets up to speed, and really integrate him into the football club, which we're big on.”
On any other injury news, the Bees boss confirmed Josh Dasilva is “back on the grass and he’s doing pretty well” after re-signing for the club last month, after his contract expired in the summer. The game between Brentford and Newcastle takes place at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday at 14:00 GMT and is live on Sky Sports.