Matthias Jaissle has called for patience as he embarks on his first major managerial project in English football, taking charge of Newcastle United after a turbulent summer at St James' Park. The 38-year-old German succeeds Eddie Howe, who departed after four and a half years in charge, and inherits a squad reshaped by the exits of several key figures.
Captain Bruno Guimaraes, midfielder Sandro Tonali and forward Anthony Gordon have all left the club this summer, leaving a significant leadership and experience gap. In response, Newcastle have altered their recruitment strategy, focusing on emerging talent rather than the seasoned professionals typically pursued in recent years. New arrivals Bazoumana Toure, Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba are all under the age of 22, underlining the club's shift toward developing younger players.
Despite the scale of the rebuild, Jaissle struck an optimistic tone at his official unveiling. "We are ambitious. That's the most important thing, also why I decided to come here. But this will not happen overnight," he said. He acknowledged the difficulty of replacing departed players of such stature, adding: "The players who left the club, they were great players, great characters, experienced players and this is now a vacuum. Other players need to step in."
The former RB Salzburg and Al-Ahli coach, who won back-to-back Austrian league titles and consecutive Asian Champions League crowns respectively at those clubs, insisted he would not make bold promises about immediate results. "I'm long enough now in the industry that you cannot promise anything, it makes no sense to promise things now because I don't know how things look in half a year or in one year. What we can control, we will control," he explained.
Jaissle framed the transitional period as an opportunity rather than a setback. "It's a big challenge, always when there's a transition period, but it's no time to complain. It doesn't make sense to see the negative things. We want to see the chance in that situation and that's our approach from day one," he said.
On the matter of a new captain to replace Guimaraes, Jaissle confirmed no decision has yet been made, stating the squad would either need reinforcements in leadership roles or for existing players to rise to the occasion. "Either we adjust something in the squad, by signing these players, these profiles, or other players need to step up and fill these positions, these leadership roles," he said, adding that he remains confident regardless of how the situation unfolds.
Before his arrival on Tyneside, Jaissle oversaw a training camp in La Manga, Spain, where his revamped squad impressed with a 2-1 victory over Valencia. Attention now turns to a friendly against Everton in Edinburgh on Wednesday, as well as ongoing transfer business. Marseille captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been strongly linked with a move to St James' Park as Newcastle look to add experience to a youthful group.
Jaissle also addressed the situation of striker Nick Woltemade, who arrived last year in a club-record £69 million deal but struggled for consistency after a promising start of five goals in his opening eight appearances. "I saw that he had a difficult period. From the first day, we talked a lot, he should leave the past behind. It's something he cannot change. We are just looking forward," Jaissle said, adding that he intends to find solutions for all players in the squad, not just Woltemade.
Based on reporting from Independent (PA).