Yoane Wissa’s departure from Brentford’s training camp in Portugal seems to have understandably angered many fans. In a week that should have been about squad unity under a new head coach, the striker has jetted off just as pre-season chemistry was forming.
The official line is minimal: Wissa will have “showdown talks” with the club (FourFourTwo). Yet press rumours point to an ‘impending’ £30 million-plus bid from Newcastle (The Times), published precisely as he walked out. Reports label him “unsettled” (The Sun). Social media’s reaction? Scathing. Fans on the Brentford social media are accusing him of abandoning the team in its hour of need, with some likening it to James Tarkowski’s 2016 ‘strike’ when he refused to play against Burnley until he got his move.
Dubbed ‘Jug-Eared Judas’, Tarkowski is still reminded of that to this day in no uncertain terms and against a torrent of the strongest language known to man!
There’s no shame in chasing Champions League dreams… all players crave it and Newcastle offer it. But walking away mid-training camp isn’t tempestuous deadline-day drama; it is seen by most as poor discipline at a pivotal juncture. Whether it is a ‘walkout’ or ‘a reluctantly agreed’ departure is almost irrelevant, to be honest. Until Brentford’s valuation is close to being triggered, which doesn’t appear to be the case just yet, the player should be training with his club.
What stings most, to be honest, is how different this all felt just a few weeks ago. At the club’s end-of-season awards, Wissa looked every inch the committed team player… smiling, proud, soaking up the love from fans and teammates alike. And now, when the club needs its leading figures to pull together after a bruising summer, even if his agent is working away in the background, it feels as if he’s jilted them. Maybe that’s not the case, maybe he’s on great terms and this has all been coordinated, but that’s not the picture that’s been painted.
We all know that things change in football, but right now our squad needs sewing back together after a crazy summer of departures, not ripping further apart. Wissa has seen that our club don’t stand in their players’ way when big moves are on the radar, but trying to force the pace of negotiations will simply cause bad blood and risk his legacy as Brentford Football Club’s all-time Premier League goalscorer being ruined.
Dave Lane
If someone doesn’t want to play for Brentford then they shouldn’t be in the squad. Get rid of him asap and invest the money on someone who does want to play