For any football team, the excitement of signing a new player is often followed by the frustrating wait for them to actually get on the pitch.
For Newcastle United and their fans, that wait has felt particularly long when it comes to Yoane Wissa. The striker was a major signing for the club, a player that manager Eddie Howe was very keen to bring in.
The club invested a significant amount of money, believed to be around £55 million, to get him from his previous club. This shows just how much they believe he can improve the team. But so far, they have not been able to see what he can do in a Newcastle shirt.
The reason for the delay is an unfortunate injury. It was one of those moments that can happen to any athlete, a complete accident.
While chasing a ball during a match, Wissa slipped on the pitch and landed very hard on his knee. There was no foul play involved; it was simply a case of bad luck.
The recovery from such an injury takes time, and the club has been carefully managing his rehabilitation. The current hope is that he will finally be ready to make his debut for the team after the next international break in October.
His return would be a massive boost, especially since the team has sometimes struggled to score goals consistently in his absence.
Wissa’s importance is clear when you look at his record. During his time in the Premier League with his former club, he proved himself to be a reliable and dangerous attacker.
He played over 130 games and scored an impressive 45 goals. That kind of experience and proven ability is exactly what Newcastle needs as they compete on multiple fronts.
The fans are eager to see him link up with the other attacking players and start contributing to the team’s success.
However, there is a small cloud of worry hanging over this positive news. Behind the scenes, the club is concerned about a decision that is completely out of their hands.
During that same international break in October, Wissa’s national team, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), has two very important World Cup qualification matches.
They are playing against Togo and Sudan, and qualifying for the World Cup is a huge deal for the country. They haven’t been to the tournament since 1974, so every game is critical.
The concern for Newcastle is that the DR Congo national team might decide to call Wissa up for these matches. From the national team’s perspective, if there is any chance he is fit, they will want their best players available for such crucial games.
But from Newcastle’s point of view, it would be a big risk. Even if a player is almost ready to return, throwing him straight into intense international matches after a long layoff can be dangerous. There is a high chance of re-injury or a setback if he is not one hundred percent ready.
Manager Eddie Howe has already spoken about this, saying that he does not expect Wissa to be called up because he doesn’t believe the player will be fully fit by that point.
Howe is hoping that common sense will prevail and that the national team will prioritize the player’s long-term fitness. But the truth is, Newcastle has very little power in this situation.
If DR Congo issues a call-up, Wissa is obliged to join his national team. The club can only advise and hope that the national team’s medical staff agrees with their assessment.
So, while everyone at Newcastle is looking forward to finally seeing their new striker in action, there is a nervous wait to see what happens during the international break.
The ideal scenario is that Wissa continues his recovery at the club’s training ground, building up his fitness gradually under the careful watch of Newcastle’s medical team.
Then, he would be perfectly prepared to help the team in their important matches after the break. But football doesn’t always follow the ideal scenario.
The club, and the fans, will be keeping a close eye on the news from the DR Congo football federation, hoping that a decision made thousands of miles away doesn’t delay a debut any longer.
