'Hopefully': Keith Andrews gives fresh update on Yoane Wissa after £40m Newcastle United bid
Brentford take on Aston Villa in the Premier League this weekend, and Bees manager Keith Andrews has spoken to the media ahead of the game, where he was asked for an update on Yoane Wissa.
Similar to Alexander Isak at Newcastle, Brentford's Yoane Wissa had been training away from the first team as he tried to force a move away from the London club.
Newcastle have held an interest in Wissa all summer, and the 28-year-old is fully aware of the interest and has told Brentford that he wants the move to Tyneside.
Wissa believes Brentford are not honouring an agreement made to him last year whereby he could leave if someone made a bid of over £30 million, which Newcastle have now done twice.
Yoane Wissa has returned to training with the team at Brentford
Unlike Isak, however, Wissa has returned to training with his teammates according to Keith Andrews, and he manager hasn't ruled him out of playing tomorrow as quoted in The Shields Gazette.
“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.
“He’s a Brentford player right now.
“My stance around Yoane all along really has been that I don’t want him to leave. That hasn’t really changed in any way shape or form. I keep going back to being understanding of his situation, but for me I don’t want to lose a player of that quality.
“That hasn’t really changed throughout the whole episode of the transfer window so hopefully he is here in the next ten, twelve days whatever it is. As the head coach, that is what I’d like.”
So much can happen between now and the end of the window
This doesn't close the door on Yoane Wissa moving to Newcastle, but the fact that he's returned to training can't be a good sign for the Magpies.
It suggests the DR Congo striker has resigned to his fate that he will be a Brentford player for at least the first half of the season.
Although it could also be a ploy to soften up the Brentford board so that they'd be more open to respecting his wishes. With just over a week to go in the transfer window, something needs to happen quickly. Newcastle's chances of signing a striker are fading fast.
