It was a memorable first start for Yoane Wissa as the Newcastle United man got his first goal for the Magpies, and fans were fairly satisfied with what they saw — aside from one big flaw.
Much had been made of Yoane Wissa’s potential involvement against Fulham ahead of the game tonight, and supporters were delighted to see the £55m man given the nod from the get-go.
It didn’t take long for that selection decision to pay off, with Wissa jumping on a golden opportunity after just ten minutes to stick the ball in the net and give the Magpies the lead.
He was withdrawn after 72 minutes, making way for fellow striker Nick Woltemade, but it seems Newcastle fans saw enough to crown Wissa a successful signing already.
Fans enjoyed Yoane Wissa’s first Newcastle start
Taking to Twitter/X to react to Wissa’s goal and his general performance against Fulham, and the consensus is that Newcastle’s new striker is a great addition to the squad.
Some fans kept it simple, saying things like, “Wissa looks good at least,” and “Wissa is going to be great for us.”
Others picked up on the energy and movement the 29-year-old showed, adding comments like, “Wissa looks lively enough,” and “I’m already loving the runs Wissa is making.”
Elsewhere, replies said, “Wissa is turning defences and being an absolute nuisance,” and “Wissa was so impactful despite a lack of service. He’s even tracking back and winning the ball.”
But, it wasn’t all good. Still, at least the one flaw the fans picked up on wasn’t Wissa’s fault, but more the players around him.
One fan complained: “Why are they putting the ball in the box every five seconds to five-foot-eight Wissa but refuse to when Woltemade plays??”
Another added: “When our six-foot-six striker isn’t playing, classic Newcastle have more crosses in the last 45 minutes than we have in the previous games.”
Now, if the Magpies can just have that same intensity and proficiency in delivering the ball into the middle when Woltemade is around, they’ll be flying.
When will we see Wissa-Woltemade partnership?
We all wanted to see Wissa and Woltemade pair up for this game, but sadly that didn’t happen. Still, we’ve seen enough from the former there tonight to suggest that when they do play together, it could be magic.
Wissa’s runs will create so much space for Woltemade and take a lot of pressure off the big German when it comes to his own work rate and movement.
Now that we know Wissa is fit enough to start a game, there’s every chance we could see that dream partnership come the weekend when Newcastle host Chelsea.
Eddie Howe has earned some forgiveness already by beating Fulham in the cup, but he would get a lot of fans back on side if he were to throw caution to the wind against the Blues and go with two up top. It’s a risk, but it could reap huge rewards.