PIF could pull off Newcastle United 129 g/a transfer ‘masterstroke’ with £30m deal
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Yoane Wissa’s signing could leave Newcastle United with one of the hottest attacking line-ups in the whole of the Premier League next season.
Wissa has left Brentford’s pre-season training camp in Portugal amid speculation surrounding his future. Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur have shown interest in signing the 28-year-old this summer, but it is Newcastle United that are believed to be motoring along in negotiations with the Bees.
The Magpies have had an initial bid of £25m rejected by Brentford, but are expected to up their offer to around £30m. Personal terms with Wissa are not expected to be an issue with the potential of playing in the Champions League and the project at St James’ Park appealing to the striker.
Callum Wilson’s departure has left a hole that Newcastle must fill in their squad whilst a back up to Alexander Isak, one that can stay fit and contribute when needed in both league and European action, is essential if they want to compete on all fronts. Wissa, therefore, seems to tick all the boxes.
If he can show the form he has at the Gtech Community Stadium on Tyneside, then concerns over his sell-on value are made largely irrelevant. And if PIF can complete a move for Wissa this summer, then Newcastle United and Eddie Howe will be able to boast not just one of the most exciting forward lines in the Premier League, but one that has the stats to back-up their hype.
Newcastle United’s potential transfer ‘masterstroke’
Signing Wissa wouldn’t just allow Newcastle United to have a back-up for Isak, but someone who can genuinely challenge him for a starting spot. The DR Congo international scored 19 Premier League goals last season, just four fewer than Isak in total and the same amount when penalties are removed from the equation.
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Wissa did that all in a team that had lost their talisman and that saw Bryan Mbeumo, for the most part, steal the headlines. Twelve goals a season prior also shows those stats weren’t simply a flash in the pan either.
Isak and Wissa would be one of the most lethal strike partnerships in the Premier League. And they will be supported by some of the most productive wingers in the division as well.
In all, Isak, Wissa, Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Elanga contributed 129 goals and assists in all competitions last season. Whilst the former two were responsible for 47 goals in that stat, Gordon, Barnes and Murphy netted nine goals apiece, whilst they also registered 26 assists between them.
Elanga, meanwhile, registered six goals and twelve assists in all competitions. Those four wide players all boast electrifying pace and last season they all, in various ways, paired that raw speed with output in front of goal.
In a season where Newcastle will target success in all formats, having a pacey and exciting front line may get fans off their seats, but it doesn’t guarantee goals, assists and wins. The forward options they have at the club now, plus the potential of adding Wissa to those ranks, guarantees all of that, plus genuine impact in front of goal.