Yoane Wissa digs himself another hole at Newcastle United

Yoane Wissa certainly hasn't had the season he dreamt of when it came to his attention that Newcastle United wanted to sign him in the summer.

The DR Congo striker was coming off the back of a stunning season with Brentford, and then he heard that Newcastle, who'd just qualified for the Champions League, had him in their sights to lead their front line.

Wissa knew that this would likely be his last chance at a 'big' move where he could play in Europe's top competition, so he set about making the move happen. Informing Brentford of his decision to leave, even going on strike to push through the move. It took a while, but eventually it happened on deadline day with literally seconds to spare.

Then disaster struck as the 29-year-old was injured on international duty less than a week after signing for his new club. That injury kept him out of action for four months, prolonging the agony of waiting to make his debut, although he’s done so little to justify his £55m fee since returning to action. In fact, he’s recently made a habit of failing to read the room after recent defeats.

Shirt swap drama

On Sunday, Wissa came off the bench on 94 minutes with Crystal Palace having just gone 2-1 up. There was little to no time for him to make an impact ont eh game but his decision to swap shirts with match winner Jean-Philippe Mateta had a huge impact on the post-match narrative.

Mateta was shown prominently on Sky Sports, celebrating the win wearing Wissa's shirt (back to front just to emphasise who the culprit was).

It may have been an innocent gesture from Wissa, but it had fans' blood boiling. The man we'd wasted £55 million on, who can't even convince the gaffer to give him a game, goes and hands his shirt to the man who just broke so many Geordie hearts. We definitely understand the fury.

However, we also have to look at it from the other side. Wissa and Mateta are friends; they came through the academy at Châteauroux together. They're there to do a job, and they don't have the same emotional connection to the club we as fans do.

It is another case of failing to read the room, though, as Wissa was seen ‘liking’ Brian Brobbey’s Instagram story celebrating a Derby win over Newcastle. Again, not a great look.

Are we too quick to judge?

Of course, it should occur to players how their actions look to their fans, but in the moment, that's not what they're thinking.

We feel that Yoane Wissa is being scapegoated lately by fans, and everything he says and does is being picked through on a microscopic level. Our feeling is that he's probably not in the greatest headspace after his big move dream has crumbled beneath his feet, and now he can't even get a game to prove himself; he's confined to tiny cameos, which don't help anyone.

Like him or not, the reality is we're probably stuck with him now. He cost far too much for us to just try and move him on in the summer without taking a massive hit that will decimate our budget, so we're just going to have to try and get behind him.