Brentford Faces Challenge As Yoane Wissa Sidelined With Injury

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Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has confirmed that striker Yoane Wissa will be out for a couple of months due to an ankle injury sustained against Manchester City. Wissa, who scored Brentford's fastest-ever Premier League goal on Saturday, was injured in the first half after a heavy challenge by City midfielder Mateo Kovacic. The DR Congo international is expected to return in November.

The injury is a significant setback for Frank, as Wissa has been directly involved in 10 goals across his last nine top-flight appearances for Brentford. "Wissa is not good news - it looks like an injury that will be a couple of months," Frank said. "It's very frustrating. We talked about our many injuries last year - I hope I don't have to talk too much about it this year."

Frank also mentioned other injuries within the squad, including those of Igor Thiago and Aaron Hickey. "We were unlucky with Igor [Thiago], unlucky with [Aaron] Hickey. We've then had two contact injuries with Mathias Jensen and Yoane Wissa, so that's very frustrating," he added. Despite these challenges, Frank remains optimistic about finding solutions.

Following Ivan Toney's transfer to Al-Ahli during the window, Wissa stepped up impressively with three goals in Brentford's four Premier League games this season. The 28-year-old has outperformed his expected goals (xG) tally by 0.57 and created four chances, only behind Mathias Jensen (six) and Bryan Mbeumo (ten) in the squad.

With record signing Igor Thiago also sidelined until the end of the year, Frank acknowledged the challenge ahead. "Everybody was saying we bought Igor Thiago to replace Ivan [Toney] - but we still had Wissa," Frank noted. "We bought Igor Thiago to build the squad and provide competition."

"Wissa had a very good season last year and started this season well with three goals in four games - that's a very good number," Frank continued. "He's just been very important for us and that's going to leave a hole. But, again, I will find a solution."

This series of injuries poses a significant challenge for Brentford as they navigate the upcoming fixtures without key players.