Yoane Wissa has insisted his £55million transfer to Newcastle was “respectful”, despite the drastic measures he took to make the move happen.
This summer transfer window could be a watershed moment for football moving forward.
Player power reached new heights, with Alexander Isak and Wissa both refusing to play for their respective clubs until they got the move they desired, with both eventually successful.
Marc Guehi, on the other hand, acted professionally and resolutely, captaining his Crystal Palace side to a 3-0 victory at Villa Park the day before Deadline Day, but failed to join Isak in getting his move to champions Liverpool.
Alexander Isak joined Liverpool in a £125million deal on Deadline Day
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Palace pulled the plug on the deal in the final hour, despite the 25-year-old completing a medical for the Reds, leaving the defender distraught.
In their protests to leave their current employers, both Isak and Wissa released bombshell statements to make their feelings clear to fans.
We are delighted to confirm the signing of forward Yoane Wissa from Brentford for an undisclosed fee. 👊 pic.twitter.com/b4PegvTndf
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) September 1, 2025
Newcastle’s former Swedish talisman claimed that “promises are broken” between himself and the club, with a change “in the best interest of both club and player”.
Wissa pleaded with Brentford, insisting he had been promised a move away this summer: “Being made to stay beyond this summer will only tarnish four wonderful years at this incredible club and so I ask Brentford’s owners and directors to now keep their word to let me leave in the final hours of the window.”
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Yoane Wissa released a bombshell statement pleading with Brentford's owners to let him leave the club
|Despite this new exit tactic drawing criticism and condemnation from fans across the country, Wissa has insisted contact with Newcastle always remained “respectful”.
Speaking in his first full interview since his move, the Congolese striker said: “It was a lot of communication - always respectful communication. Open talks, back and forth, of course, but always respectful.
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“They had their arguments, I got mine. The most important thing is it was always respectful with all of them. That’s why I kept myself fit, training and seeing the guys, being around every single day, just waiting for the right time to move.”
Despite the manner of his departure, the 29-year-old looks back on his four-year stint in London fondly: “It was a wonderful journey. Even for this deal to happen it was quite difficult because I had a story before to join Brentford.
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Yoane Wissa insisted his move to Newcastle was 'respectful'
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“But that’s why I have a lot of respect for them, even though now I’m a Newcastle player, but I’ve got a lot of love, a lot of respect.
“So it is still going to be the same. I enjoyed every moment. I remember the first goal and obviously the last one, but it's been tough, it's been competitive, it's been up and down.
The 29-year-old scored 19 Premier League goals for Brentford last term
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“I think what we should remember is last year, what we’ve done, what we created.”
The French-born striker is one half of Eddie Howe’s replacement for the outgoing Isak, along with club-record £69m signing Nick Woltemade from German side Stuttgart.
The pair scored a combined 37 goals in all competitions last year and will add height and depth to a squad that is competing in the Champions League once more.
Isak, on the other hand, completed his British-record £125m move to Liverpool, bolstering their already elite forward line of Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo.