'I am human' - Yoane Wissa comes out swinging as Newcastle United consider £55m striker move
Yoane Wissa plans to stay at Newcastle United amid reports the club are considering selling him this summer.
Yoane Wissa wants to fight to save his Newcastle United career.
The Magpies are prepared to cash in on Wissa, less than 12 months after signing him from Brentford for £55million.
Wissa sustained a knee injury on international duty with DR Congo just days after completing his move to Tyneside. Signed as a ready-made replacement for Alexander Isak, the 29-year-old didn’t end up making his debut until December.
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And since then, the 29-year-old has scored just three goals in 24 appearances, only seven of which have been starts. He last started a match in February when the Magpies lost 3-2 at home to his former club, the Bees.
Yoane Wissa wants to fight to save his NUFC career
Newcastle are understood to be weighing up Wissa’s future less than a year into his contract. Wissa penned a four-year deal last summer and, given the hefty transfer fee, carries significant book value, but the striker doesn’t plan on going anywhere.
He told Joel Beya TV: “I am a soldier. I can make so many mistakes and I will keep making so many mistakes because I am human but what I want them [Newcastle fans] to know is the love I’ve got for this shirt. I’m looking forward to next season.
“I think I understand now how big this club is and how important it is. I hope I am going to do better and I will try my best to do better for sure because for me, it is more important than anything else.
“To perform at Newcastle is something unbelievable for me because even when I was young, I never expected to be here. I am very proud and grateful to be here, so I just need to show.
“I know that so many players struggle after the first year, either here or so on. Now I am starting to connect with the players, which is really important for me. I am looking forward.
“We’ve got seven games left, I hope I am going to score some goals towards the end. But for me, the most important thing for me is to say I am a soldier and no matter what, I’ll keep going.”
Eddie Howe: More to come from Yoane Wissa
Eddie Howe said recently that the best is yet to come from Wissa and believes the player will benefit from a full pre-season.
“I still feel there's loads more to come,” Howe said. “I feel a pre-season would definitely help him. I think you could see a totally different player with a really sustained period where he's able to do what he needs to do.
“He's been trying, he's been really wanting to make the difference, but I think there's been physical things that have just kept him back from doing that.
“No injury, but as I say, it's just the time that he's had on the pitch and the time he's had in training to get his body right up to full speed. So I think the best is yet to come.”