6 hours ago
35
Keith Andrews has chosen to omit Brentford forward Yoane Wissa from Saturday’s squad to face Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The 28-year-old has been linked with an exit all summer, and his future is of great interest to Liverpool fans, with Wissa potentially being lined up to replace Alexander Isak at Newcastle United.
The Magpies reportedly saw a bid for the DR Congo forward rejected this week, and the striker has recently returned to training at Brentford following his high-profile attempt to engineer a move away from the London club. There was some expectation that he could be involved against Villa at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.
But those hopes were dashed 75 minutes before kick-off when the teams were announced, with Wissa not included for the second week in a row.
Explaining the decision, Andrews told Brentford’s in-house media team : “It’s not right to involve him in the squad. The team is the focus and I felt that was the right thing to do.”
The Brentford head coach head said the previous day there was a chance Wissa could feature after returning to training.
“My stance around Yoane all along really has been that I don’t want him to leave,” said the former Republic of Ireland midfielder.
“That hasn’t really changed in any way shape or form. I keep going back to being understanding of his situation, but for me, I don’t want to lose a player of that quality.
“That hasn’t really changed throughout the whole episode of the transfer window, so hopefully he is here in the next 10, 12 days, whatever it is. As the head coach, that is what I’d like.
“I have got a good relationship with Wiss,” continued Andrews, who was Brentford’s set-piece coach last season.
“I worked really hard with him last year to try and find goals. Seven of his 19 goals last year came from set-pieces.
“He owes me really, so he shouldn't be going anywhere, to be blunt.”
The expectation around Newcastle all summer has been that Isak’s departure would feel more palatable if a replacement is lined up, with Wissa’s name reported over as a possible target for several months.
Should he complete a transfer, Wissa would follow Bryan Mbuemo, Christian Norgaard, and Thomas Frank in leaving Brentford this summer
Dango Ouattara joined the Bees from Bournemouth last week in a club-record deal that was seen by many as Brentford preparing for Wissa’s eventual exit.
English (US) ·