Yoane Wissa’s transfer to Newcastle United was almost lost in the chaos of deadline day, with the deal only confirmed seconds before the 9pm extended deadline, according to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope.
At 8.58pm on Monday night, according to Hope, Wissa—still a Brentford forward—stepped outside Newcastle’s training ground to phone his family and celebrate what he believed was his signing with Newcastle.
Turns out, that wasn’t the case yet.
One crucial document still required Wissa’s signature, forcing NUFC’s staff to sprint trying to locate the striker, thrusting a mobile phone into his hands so he could scrawl his signature on the screen as the club’s admin team rushed back to upload the file.
Brentford, who stood to receive £50m immediately, were equally desperate for the process to be completed and fearing a last-second collapse.
At 8.59pm, the Premier League’s system registered the final email from the Magpies HQ, sealing the deal. Only then was Wissa officially a Newcastle player, with Hope citing witnesses as saying the striker celebrated “like he’d won the Champions League.”
Manager Eddie Howe, unaware of the ridiculous and nearly memeable scramble, FaceTimed his new No. 9 minutes later to welcome him. The close call capped what Hope described as the “most chaotic, traumatic and frenzied transfer window” in Newcastle’s recent history.
Wissa’s arrival followed Newcastle’s record signing of Nick Woltemade and the record sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool in a humongous £125m deal. In total, six new players—including Wissa, by a nail—joined for £240m plus add-ons.
