Matthias Jaissle, the 38-year-old German coach, has been lined up as Eddie Howe's replacement at Newcastle United after Howe's five-year tenure ended following a 4-1 defeat to Bristol City. The move is facilitated by the shared ownership of Newcastle and Jaissle's current club Al-Ahli under Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Jaissle's coaching rise
Jaissle's playing career was cut short by injury in 2014 at age 25, having been part of Hoffenheim's rise from the eighth tier to the Bundesliga. Former Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick, then Red Bull's sporting director, identified Jaissle as a future coach and invited him into a trainee programme. Jaissle later said: "Ralf already saw a coach in me, even when I didn't think about it at all."
He coached Leipzig's U17 side and followed Alexander Zorniger to Brondby in 2016. Rangnick recalled him in 2019 to take over a youth team at Salzburg. When Julian Nagelsmann left Salzburg for Bayern Munich in 2021, Jaissle became head coach and won back-to-back Austrian Bundesliga titles and the Austrian Cup.
Success in Saudi Arabia
Jaissle moved to Al-Ahli, where he has won two Asian Champions League Elite titles, including back-to-back triumphs in April 2026—the first club in over two decades to achieve that. At Al-Ahli, he managed players like Ivan Toney and former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, preparing him for a Premier League dressing room.
His coaching style emphasises energetic, fast-paced football. He drew inspiration from New Zealand's rugby team and avoided long video sessions, which he disliked as a player. Salzburg sporting director Christoph Freund said: "Matthias's qualities speak for themselves. He is young, ambitious and suits our club really well. The way he works and develops young players is exceptional."
Challenge ahead at Newcastle
Jaissle inherits a Newcastle side that has been stripped of key players since its upward trajectory two years ago. The 4-1 loss to Bristol City proved the final straw for Howe. Jaissle, who has known only success as a manager, now faces his biggest test with a team not among the league's best-equipped, a challenge he has not yet encountered.
