Newcastle few seconds away from major blunder on Monday

The final moments of the summer transfer window are always a tense affair, but for Newcastle United and their fans, this year’s deadline day delivered a heart-stopping climax that will be talked about for some time.

As the clock struck 7 pm on Monday, there was a collective sigh of relief across Tyneside. The club had successfully navigated the window, bringing in exciting new talent like Anthony Elanga, Aaron Ramsdale, and Malick Thiaw, and had crucially addressed their attack with the signings of Nick Woltemade and, most importantly, Yoane Wissa from Brentford.

However, a new report from Sky Sports’ Keith Downie has revealed just how close the club came to a monumental disaster.

The deal for Wissa, which had been weeks in the making after two previous bids were rejected, almost collapsed in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.

Despite a breakthrough in negotiations that saw the player drive up to the North East early on Monday to undergo his medical, the transfer was seconds away from falling through due to a simple administrative error.

The process seemed straightforward. Clubs are permitted a two-hour extension beyond the 7 pm deadline to finalize paperwork, provided they have submitted a special ‘deal sheet’ to the Premier League.

Newcastle had done this, giving them until 9 pm to dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’. But in the frantic, last-minute chaos that defines deadline day, a single crucial document was accidentally left unsigned by the player himself.

With just minutes remaining in the extension period, a desperate scene unfolded at the club’s training ground.

One of the representatives involved in the deal had to literally sprint through the facility to find Wissa and get him to put pen to paper on the missing form.

It was a race against time that evoked memories of other famous deadline day near-misses, though thankfully this story did not end like the infamous David De Gea fax machine fiasco at Real Madrid.

At 8:59 pm, with a mere 30 seconds to spare, the paperwork was finally completed and submitted, and the deal was officially ratified.

For the player, it was the exhilarating end to a whirlwind 24 hours. After finally getting his desired move, he immediately jetted off to join the DR Congo national team for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against South Sudan and Senegal.

This caps off an incredible period for the striker, who now has the thrilling prospect of Champions League football to look forward to upon his return.

The relief for everyone at Newcastle is palpable. Securing Wissa was absolutely vital after the sale of Alexander Isak.

He brings proven Premier League experience, a consistent goal threat, and a relentless work ethic that will endear him to the St. James’ Park faithful.

The thought of such a crucial transfer disintegrating because of an unsigned piece of paper is a nightmare scenario that the club narrowly avoided.

Now, the focus can finally shift to the pitch, where Wissa and his new teammate Nick Woltemade will be eager to lead the line against Wolverhampton Wanderers after the international break, their deadline day drama firmly behind them.