Andrews Confirms Interest In Wissa Following Forward's Absence From Pre-Season Training Camp

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Brentford's manager, Keith Andrews, has acknowledged that Yoane Wissa is drawing attention from other teams. Wissa opted out of the club's pre-season training in Portugal. This comes amid significant changes at Gtech Community Stadium. Andrews was promoted after Thomas Frank moved to Tottenham. The club has also transferred key players like goalkeeper Mark Flekken to Bayer Leverkusen and captain Christian Norgaard to Arsenal.

Last season, Bryan Mbeumo, who scored 20 goals for Brentford, was sold to Manchester United. He had formed a strong partnership with Wissa, who netted 19 times in the Premier League. Notably, none of Wissa's goals were penalties, while Mbeumo scored five from the spot. Only Mohamed Salah surpassed Wissa in non-penalty goals last season.

Newcastle United recently had a £25 million bid for Wissa turned down. They are looking for attacking players as Alexander Isak plans to leave. Andrews confirmed that speculation about transfers kept Wissa away from the pre-season camp but expects him back next week.

"He has gone back to London. It was his decision, obviously because of speculation," Andrews told Brentford's media channels. "There are clubs interested, and he felt it was the right thing to go back to London. It's simple, really; he folds back into the group next week when we come back to training."

Newcastle is not alone in pursuing Wissa; Nottingham Forest made a £22 million offer in January that Brentford rejected. Meanwhile, Brentford played their first pre-season match under Andrews against Gil Vicente, ending in a 1-1 draw. Their next game is against QPR on August 2.

The ongoing interest in Wissa highlights his value as a player following an impressive season. As Brentford navigates these changes, they aim to maintain their competitive edge in upcoming matches and potential transfers.