Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has revealed the ankle injury sustained by Yoane Wissa against Manchester City is "not good news" and he will be sidelined for the next "couple of months".
The 28-year-old put Brentford ahead at the Etihad Stadium after only 22 seconds last Saturday with his third goal in four Premier League matches.
However, a challenge from Mateo Kovacic forced DR Congo international Wissa off just before the break, as Brentford suffered a 2-1 defeat.
"Wissa is, unfortunately, not good news: it looks like an injury that will be a couple of months," Frank told the club's official website. "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. I maybe already have."
The news will come as a blow to Frank, who is already without summer signing Igor Thiago, who has been ruled out until late 2024 after undergoing knee surgery, while Ivan Toney departed for Saudi club Al Ahli on Transfer Deadline Day.
What does this mean for Brentford?
Only on three previous occasions have Brentford been without both Wissa AND Toney in their starting XI for a Premier League match, and their next fixture will be their first without the pair since December 2023.
Worryingly for Frank, his team have been winless in those three encounters, drawing one and losing the other two.
Key metrics underline Wissa's importance to the Bees.
Since August 2021, Brentford's win percentage when Wissa starts has been 39.3 per cent, but when he doesn't start it drops significantly to 26.8 per cent.
The Bees also score more when Wissa starts, averaging 1.6 goals per match with him in the line-up, compared with 1.3 when he is on the bench or absent from the squad.
Brentford with/without Wissa starting since 2021/22
| With Wissa | Without Wissa | |
| 61 | Matches | 56 |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | Wins | 15 |
| 15 | Draws | 15 |
| 22 | Losses | 26 |
| 96 | Goals for | 70 |
| 1.6 | Avg. goals for | 1.3 |
| 81 | Goals against | 92 |
| 1.3 | Avg. goals against | 1.6 |
| 39.3% | Win percentage | 26.8% |
| 1.4 | Points/match | 1.1 |
| 12.5 | Shots/match | 10.6 |
| 14 | Shots conceded/match | 14.3 |
Since Brentford were promoted to the Premier League in 2021, Wissa has the second-most goals in the team, with 29, only behind Toney's 36.
Wissa has also played the second-most matches for Brentford in the competition, appearing 106 times.
Where Wissa ranks for Brentford
| Total | Brentford Rank | |
| Matches played | 106 | 2nd |
|---|---|---|
| Matches started | 61 | 8th |
| Mins played | 5,672 | 8th |
| Goals | 29 | 2nd |
| Expected Goals | 21.85 | 3rd |
| Total shots (inc. blocks) | 140 | 3rd |
| Shots on target | 58 | 3rd |
| Chances created (inc. assists) | 56 | 6th |
| Shot conversion rate (inc. blocks) | 20.71% | 2nd |
| Assists | 8 | =4th |
| Goals+assists | 37 | 3rd |
| Big chance total | 35 | 3rd |
| Big chance scored | 17 | 3rd |
