- Newcastle United star riles fans after Crystal Palace defeat
- Yoane Wissa frustrates since £55m transfer
- Striker swaps shirts with match winner Jean-Philippe Mateta
In the immediate aftermath of Newcastle United’s defeat to Crystal Palace, where a loss was once again snatched from the jaws of victory, it was difficult not to notice Yoane Wissa‘s antics.
As the cameras rightfully followed match winner Jean-Philippe Mateta, who scored both goals to give the Eagles a victory, he encountered fellow forward Wissa.
The two exchanged shirts in the middle of the field, a rather normal gesture on the surface, but one which doesn’t exactly help the Newcastle forward’s image at his new club.
Yoane Wissa swaps shirts with Jean-Philippe Mateta
It wasn’t necessarily that Wissa participated in the shirt-swapping ritual that is bad. It is more so the fact that he did it on the pitch in a game Newcastle had just thrown away. It was unforgiveable to watch the striker sauntering over to clap the away fans with the shirt of the man who had just handed them a loss draped around his neck.
There would be no problem had Wissa waited until he was down the tunnel to perform the swap. Instead, the man who played one minute during the game and hasn’t scored a Premier League goal all season, took it upon himself to further the humiliation of yet another defeat.
It rubbed salt into the wounds of a painful stoppage-time defeat. After the Magpies dropped their 25th point from winning positions this season, it didn’t exactly help calm the frustration to see your summer signing in such cheerful discourse with the opposition.
Not only that, but Mateta proceeded to put Wissa’s shirt on, before parading around Selhurst Park and geeing up the fans with the Newcastle shirt on his person.
Newcastle United fan patience running short
The shirt swap may not have even been noticeable had it not come just weeks after Wissa’s actions were scrutinised following the derby defeat.
In the aftermath of that even more haunting defeat, Wissa appeared to have liked match winner Brian Brobbey‘s Instagram post. The post depicted the scorer of Sunderland’s winner celebrating the goal, followed by a picture of him holding the man of the match award.
Wissa rightfully got plenty of stick from all areas of the Newcastle fanbase following that debacle.
You would have thought the forward would want to keep his powder dry for at least a few weeks before once again leaving himself open to questions of how much he cares, but clearly not.
Wissa’s growing image
The DR Congo international hasn’t received many minutes since his arrival last summer, but in the minutes he has managed, his work rate and passion for the cause have been questioned, too.
He hasn’t set the world alight by any means and has been labelled lazy and uninterested during his performances. Those performances mixed with disrespectful actions toward the club off the field – it almost feels as if an unsaveable image is beginning to be perpetuated.
It may appear harsh to be scapegoating Wissa, given he has barely been trusted to play and he is not the only one whose character should be questioned. However, he has repeatedly shown a disregard for the badge since his arrival, with this just the latest stunt in his ‘read the room’ series.
Given that the club prioritised his signing, pushed hard to get a deal over the line and paid £55 million for his services, it does feel as if Wissa should be trying harder to endear himself to the fanbase. Or, at the very least, do one small thing to make them like him.
In other news, Newcastle United Player Ratings: ‘Criminal’ 3/10 and ‘silly’ 4 v Crystal Palace.
