Newcastle confirm £55million Yoane Wissa transfer after summer-long saga

EDDIE HOWE finally has his new No9 after Newcastle secured a £55million deadline day swoop for Yoane Wissa from Brentford.

The DR Congo international, 28, penned a four-year contract at St. James’ Park as he sealed his dream to play in the Champions League after his fall-out with the Bees .

4 Yoane Wissa has become Newcastle's new No9 Credit: Getty

4 Relieved Eddie Howe finally has a striker after a nightmare summer Credit: Getty

Wissa and fellow new boy Nick Woltemade, a £69m club-record buy from Stuttgart , will now be tasked with filling the void left by Alexander Isak as the Swede sealed his £130m Newcastle exit to Liverpool .

His arrival ends what has been a frustrating summer for Howe as the Magpies missed out on Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko in their quest for a striker.

Wissa, who leaves the West London outfit with a record of 49 goals in 149 appearances, initially left the club’s pre-season camp in Portugal and then trained alone before deleting all references to the club on Instagram as he pushed to leave.

The star, who scored 19 Premier League goals last term, then released a statement on Sunday accusing the Bees of “unduly standing in his way” of a move to Tyneside in one final attempt to convince them to sell.

That led to Toon chiefs, who also considered a late attempt to try and get Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, re-opening talks with their Brentford counterparts.

Newcastle , who had two previous bids rejected, eventually came to terms on a package worth £50m up-front with a potential further £5m in add-ons.

The hotshot, who travelled from the capital to the North East by car, arrived on Tyneside before lunchtime to complete his medical before putting pen-to-paper.

He will take over the No9 shirt that has been vacant since Callum Wilson’s departure.

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He said after signing: “I’m really happy to be here and to sign for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League.

“I’m very, very excited to put on the black and white shirt. I’ve got dreams, I’ve got faith, and now I will do my best to make it all happen. I can’t wait to get started.”

Relieved Magpies boss Howe added: “Yoane is a player who we have admired for some time and we’re delighted to have him on board.

“He brings proven Premier League quality, demonstrated not only by his goalscoring output but also the crucial work he does for the team.

“Yoane’s style of play will excite our supporters and complement our style of play - he has pace, power and an excellent work rate. He immediately makes us stronger.”

Both Wissa and the 6ft6 German giant Woltemade are heading off on international duty before returning to start training with their new team-mates ahead of their expected debuts at home to Wolves on Saturday 13 September.

Meanwhile, Wissa’s arrival almost resulted in striker William Osula joining Eintract Frankfurt, but the proposed £30m deal fell through.

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