New Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle has thrown his support behind the club's inexperienced new signings as he prepares for his first Premier League match in charge at St James' Park this Sunday against Liverpool.
The German, who replaced Eddie Howe just a fortnight ago, could hand competitive debuts to as many as three of Newcastle's four summer arrivals aged 20 or under, with Bazoumana Touré, Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur all potentially featuring. Jaissle used his pre-match press conference to urge patience from both supporters and the media towards his young charges.
"When you have young players it's good that you don't put even more pressure from outside on them," Jaissle said. "They have already a lot of pressure, stepping up to goals they are maybe not used to at the moment. From my side they have full confidence and commitment and trust and respect for the journey ahead of them – and it would be nice if the fans and the media could see it in the same way."
Having previously suggested that everyone was "against" Newcastle, the 38-year-old, who arrives from Al-Ahli via a spell at RB Salzburg, is now trying to turn that outside scrutiny into motivation for his squad. "It's smart from us to avoid the negativity from outside and there is negativity," he said. "You read the newspapers, the media, the social media in particular."
The fixture against Liverpool carries extra significance given the summer departures that have reshaped Newcastle's squad. The club lost Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, Sandro Tonali to Tottenham and Bruno Guimarães to Arsenal, forcing a rebuild that Jaissle admits is still incomplete. Asked to quantify how close his team was to full readiness, he demurred. "I'm not good in mathematics, so I can't tell you that," he said. "But, for sure, there's a gap to reach our full potential. That's normal when you consider the circumstances around us. We are smart and realistic. But we are also ambitious."
One fresh face who will feature immediately is Amar Dedic, who completed a £30m move from Benfica this week and is set to start at right-back. However, Jaissle declined to reveal who would be tasked with marking Alexander Isak, the former Newcastle striker who joined Liverpool for £125m last summer and is expected to lead Andoni Iraola's attack at St James' Park. "I like Isak a lot," Jaissle said. "He's pure quality as a player. I don't know him as a human being but the important thing is that our lads just focus on themselves."
Off the pitch, Newcastle also confirmed plans this week for a new £190m training complex at Woolsington Hall near Newcastle Airport, targeted for completion ahead of the 2029-30 season, pending planning approval. Jaissle welcomed the news while stressing his current focus remains on the club's existing training base in Benton. "I consider the training ground at the moment as my home, which is normal and fine at this stage," he said. "I can only say good things about Newcastle. The new training ground will be a world-class facility and will set the standards for this ambitious club."
Jaissle also touched on the adjustments of settling into English football culture after his time in Jeddah, joking that regional accents and driving on the left have posed the biggest early challenges.
Sunday's match will also serve as a tribute to former Newcastle and Liverpool manager Kevin Keegan, who died recently. "You cannot really describe what Kevin Keegan did for this club," Jaissle said. "He is the reason why it is on this level right now. He is a legend at Liverpool too, so this combination is special. Everyone in the stadium will show him a tribute on Sunday."
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.