Newcastle's shift in transfer policy

Newcastle certainly did their homework on Yoane Wissa.

Head coach Eddie Howe targeted players who were "desperate" to join the club, particularly after strikers Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko and Joao Pedro opted to move elsewhere, and the DR Congo international fitted the bill.

Newcastle, tellingly, returned to the table with a third and final bid on deadline day rather than moving on to an alternative.

It signified a rare shift in transfer policy. In fact, Newcastle had not signed an outfield player over the age of 25 since Howe's first summer in charge in 2022.

Yet the 29-year-old appears to be a relative late bloomer rather than someone entering the twilight of his career.

Wissa's year-on-year development has been such he went on to score more non-penalty goals (19) than any other player in the Premier League last season.

His record in front of goal, his ability to plug in and his work off the ball made him an attractive proposition for Newcastle, who only had one player hit double figures last season.

That man was Alexander Isak.

It will now fall to Wissa, the club's number nine, and record signing Nick Woltemade to help fill the void left by the Swede.

French defender Julien Laporte suggested there is more to come from his former Lorient team-mate.

"I'm proud to have played with someone like Yoane because he's had a great career. In my opinion, it's not finished," he said.

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