Newcastle United's Silver Lining? Howe Provides Encouraging Wissa Fitness Report

Newcastle United fans’ patience with new signing Yoane Wissa must continue. The striker, who joined from Brentford 96 days before his debut, is currently only making short appearances for the team.

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While he is determined to focus on his club career instead of attending the Africa Cup of Nations with DR Congo—coming off a 19-goal Premier League season without penalties—it appears a significant impact from Wissa is not imminent.

Wissa, Newcastle’s £50 million-rated, Premier League-experienced forward, was unlucky to suffer a knee injury while representing his national team in September. Unfortunately, his lack of fitness adds to the club’s struggles during what has been a frustratingly inconsistent campaign.

As it stands, Wissa has played a mere 32 minutes for Newcastle this season, and there is little indication he will be fit enough to complete a full match in the near future.

Following Newcastle’s crushing derby defeat to Sunderland, manager Eddie Howe addressed the fitness of forward Nick Woltemade.

Woltemade had a wholly ineffective 75 minutes at the Stadium of Light—aside from scoring an unlucky own goal—and seemed tired before being substituted for Wissa. Wissa’s performance upon entering the game was also underwhelming.

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When asked about Wissa’s fitness, Howe said: “I don’t think Yoane’s ready to play 90 minutes but I think he was ready to play the minutes that he played today.”

Woltemade is carrying a heavy burden for Newcastle due to the absence of a fully fit Wissa and the ankle injury to William Osula. Although Wissa is technically available, his lengthy injury layoff means he won’t be ready to start games until early 2026.

This unfortunate timing prevents Woltemade from getting necessary rest and puts immense strain on the German player, who is also trying to recover from scoring an own goal in his recent derby debut.

The team is currently in a difficult period, and Wissa’s return won’t be enough to immediately resolve their issues.

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