Yoane Wissa: The Struggles of Newcastle's No.9
Yoane Wissa walked into St James’ Park carrying history on his back. The No.9 shirt. Alan Shearer’s number. The one that is supposed to turn centre-forwards into icons, not case studies in what went wrong.
Signed from Brentford on deadline day in September, Wissa arrived as Newcastle’s late, reactive answer to Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool. He was meant to plug a hole. He was supposed to bring the sharp, relentless form he showed in west London. Instead, the move has unravelled into a nightmare for player and club alike.
A season that never really started
His campaign was wrecked before it had a chance to breathe. A knee injury on international duty pushed his competitive debut back to December, and by the time he was fit, Newcastle’s season – and attack – had already taken on a different shape.
Since then, the numbers tell a blunt story. Twenty-four appearances in all competitions. Just three goals. One start in Newcastle’s last 16 fixtures. The man in the famous shirt has mostly watched from the bench.
The club’s stance is now hardening. According to The Athletic, Newcastle plan to actively look for buyers in the summer window. Eight months on from a sizeable outlay, the board is prepared to cut their losses, even if it means taking a heavy financial hit.
Club wants a reset, player wants a fight
Wissa is not pushing to go. He is on a long-term contract and has made it clear he wants to stay, fight, and prove he belongs in this team. The hierarchy, though, appears to be heading in another direction.
Newcastle sit 14th in the Premier League, staring at a season without European football. The mood on Tyneside has shifted from ambition to repair work. Financial rules are tightening around them, and a squad rebalance has become less a choice and more a necessity.
In that context, an expensive back-up striker who has not yet delivered becomes a problem to solve, not a project to nurture.
Howe’s support – with limits
Eddie Howe has chosen his words carefully in public. He has backed Wissa’s character and highlighted the chaos of his first year in the North East, rather than simply writing him off.
Speaking before the clash with Brighton, Howe pointed to the disrupted rhythm that has defined the forward’s season.
“The most difficult part for Yoane is that he got back fit, there was a huge feeling inside of him that he wanted to rush back and show everybody how good he is, but we haven’t been able to train him in the way we normally would. It was very stop-start and we didn’t see the best of him. I think a pre-season would really show the best of him.”
It was a defence of the player’s potential, but not a promise. Howe stopped short of guaranteeing Wissa’s future, and that hesitation speaks loudly in a summer where almost everything at Newcastle is up for review.
A panic buy under a broken structure
The story of this transfer starts long before Wissa pulled on the shirt. He was never the first name on the list. Newcastle had chased Joao Pedro, Hugo Ekitike and Jorgen Strand Larsen as primary targets. Those deals never landed.
Under pressure, and without a sporting director or chief executive in place, the club pivoted late in the window. Wissa became the solution. The deal was done in a vacuum, with no permanent recruitment structure to challenge or refine the decision.
That gap has now been filled. David Hopkinson and Ross Wilson have come in to reshape the football operation, and with a new-look recruitment team in place, the Wissa signing is increasingly viewed inside the club as an expensive panic move they now need to correct.
Final audition or farewell tour?
As the 2025-26 campaign winds down, Newcastle are already looking ahead to a major overhaul. A new striker is on the agenda – someone to bring reliable goals and genuine competition at the top of the pitch.
For Wissa, that reality strips away any comfort. The final games of the season are no longer just fixtures; they are a live trial. Either he convinces Howe and the board that there is still a No.9 worth salvaging, or he uses these minutes to advertise himself to his next club.
St James’ Park has seen No.9s rise and fall before. The question now is whether Wissa gets a second act on Tyneside, or whether this chapter closes as quickly – and as brutally – as it began.
