Revealed: Newcastle United’s January transfer plan amid Yoane Wissa injury concerns
Newcastle United have endured a frustrating start to the season so far and are now looking to get their domestic form back on track.
Eddie Howe’s side beat Fulham 2-1 at St James Park last time out, and they are keen to build on that success in the coming weeks to push up the table.
Newcastle were dealt a blow in terms of their squad depth earlier this season when Yoane Wissa picked up a serious injury on international duty, adding to their frustrations.
Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson‘s summer departures meant Newcastle needed to sign two new strikers, but only Nick Woltemade has been fit so far this season.
As a result, there have been questions about whether the Magpies could add an extra striker to their ranks in January to cover for the absence of Wissa.
Newcastle unlikely to sign a new striker after Yoane Wissa latest
Newcastle have been concerned about Wissa’s injury and the length of time it may take for him to return to first-team action ahead of the January transfer window.
However, as I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Newcastle have no plans to sign a new striker mid-way through the season and are confident the DR Congo international will return in time to ease any concerns.
The latest update on the striker’s future is that he could be in contention for their visit to West Ham next weekend, but will take longer to get back to match fitness.
Speaking on the Inside Track podcast, I explained: “I would be surprised if they were to bring in a new striker. I think obviously Woltemade has hit the ground running.
“We haven’t seen Yoane Wissa yet, unfortunately due to injuries. I don’t think Newcastle will be rushing into anything just yet to make any plans for striker additions.
“They’ll be hoping that Wissa can get fit and come in and prove his worth to the team as soon as possible.
“So I would say it’s unlikely as things stand that Newcastle will be looking to bring a new striker.
“I’m sure all their focus is on getting Wissa fit as soon as possible and getting him available for Eddie Howe’s side.”
Wissa went on strike at Brentford to force through a move to Newcastle, and therefore had very little pre-season action and will take time to get up to speed.
Wissa’s injury details emerge ahead of Newcastle return
The forward signed for Newcastle on transfer deadline day following Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool, and had hoped to hit the ground running in the North East.
However, he had a scan on his knee after travelling back from international duty with DR Congo in September, and later saw a specialist to assess the extent of the blow.
Wissa was expected to be fit start against Wolves and was in line to make his Newcastle debut shortly following his arrival, but faced a major setback.
Despite not having yet featured for Newcastle, Wissa expects to go to AFCON with the DR Congo if his recovery goes as planned in the coming weeks.
That will mean Howe could be without his striker between 21 December and 18 January should they go all the way, adding more cause for concern.
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