Ouattara Arrival Raises Questions Over Wissa’s Brentford Future

Brentford have broken their transfer record to sign Burkina Faso international Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth in a deal worth up to £42.5m, Sport360NG reports.

The 23-year-old forward has penned a five-year contract with the option of a further season and is expected to step into the role vacated by Bryan Mbeumo, who joined Manchester United last month.

Ouattara scored nine times in 37 appearances for the Cherries across all competitions last season but struggled to cement a regular starting place after joining from French side Lorient in January 2023.

Head coach Keith Andrews said he was delighted to secure the signing:

“We’re really pleased to bring Dango in. He’s a player we’ve tracked for some time and once we realised he could become available, we made him a priority. His Premier League experience at such a young age stood out to us, and we believe he has qualities that fit perfectly with how we want to play.”

Andrews added that the winger would give the Bees an extra dimension in attack:

“He offers something different to our forward line and will complement what we already have. I think the supporters will take to him straight away, he’s the kind of player that gets fans out of their seats.”

Sources close to Ouattara confirmed he was keen to move to west London after limited opportunities at Bournemouth. Nottingham Forest had previously shown interest before deciding to invest £37.5m in England Under-21 winger Omari Hutchinson instead.

Ouattara’s arrival could also have an impact on Yoane Wissa’s future. The 28-year-old striker has been linked with a move away, with Newcastle United seeing a bid worth £25m plus £5m in add-ons rejected. Andrews confirmed on Thursday that Wissa would not feature in Brentford’s opening Premier League fixture against Forest this weekend amid uncertainty over his situation.