Matthias Jaissle will meet his Newcastle United squad as a group for the first time this week in La Manga, and the message he delivers should set the tone for his tenure. The German inherits a squad that, from the outside at least, appears fractured, dispirited and in need of a galvanising force.
If Jaissle is to follow the example of Eddie Howe, who took over a very different but similarly leaderless squad almost five years ago, he must make one thing clear from day one: anyone who does not want to be at the club should leave. Newcastle cannot afford to carry passengers, no matter how good they are or what they have achieved in the past.
A difficult decision on Bruno Guimaraes
That, unfortunately, should include Bruno Guimaraes. There is no desire to see the midfielder quit the club, and the prospect of him lining up for Arsenal next season is dispiriting. But players come and go, and every player Newcastle have signed has left a disappointed set of supporters behind at their previous club.
Bruno has been the inspiration behind much of what Newcastle have achieved since he arrived from Lyon in 2022. No one who witnessed his emotional pitchside interview at Wembley after the Carabao Cup win can doubt that he took the club, the city and the fans to his heart. Yet if he has decided the time is right to move on, then so be it. The club does not need players who want to be elsewhere.
There is no need for recriminations, social media abuse or boos when he returns, but there should be no over-sentimentality if he signs for a Premier League rival. The door is there.
Everyone must be on board
The same should go for anyone whose heart is no longer in it. This summer has brought repeated talk of players wanting out, though in the murky world of transfer influencers it is hard to know how much is true. If Jaissle is to bring the young squad together, he must have everyone signed up to his plan from day one.
Get it right and Newcastle can again become the thorn in the side of the so-called big boys, just as the first Eddie Howe team was. That band of brothers humbled many at St James' Park.
Newcastle cannot afford too many more exits, so it is imperative that Jaissle sells his vision to any doubters. The proof will come on the pitch, but he has three weeks before the opening game with Liverpool to turn sceptics into believers. Those who are not ready to commit should exit the ride before it starts, no matter how painful that is.
