"Football is a reflection of life." That slogan introduces Matthias Jaissle on his professional website and is often used to explain how the 38-year-old approaches the game. He is about to step into the biggest role of his coaching career at Newcastle United, having built a reputation as a serial winner over six years as a head coach.
Jaissle is little known to English football supporters, but his CV includes time at FC Liefering and RB Salzburg in Austria and a three-year spell at Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia. He now takes on his first job in a top European league, succeeding Eddie Howe and inheriting a Newcastle squad that has been reshaped around younger players.
From Hoffenheim understudy to Brøndby assistant
Jaissle's own playing career ended in 2014 at the age of 26 because of a serious knee injury. He came through Stuttgart's academy under Thomas Tuchel, now England head coach, and later worked under Ralf Rangnick at Hoffenheim. When Tuchel selected Al-Ahli forward Ivan Toney for the World Cup, it was Jaissle's testimony that helped convince him. When his knee forced him to retire, Rangnick offered him a coaching role in the Red Bull system, and he initially worked as an assistant to Sebastian Hoeness before taking charge of the under-17s.
Hoeness later played a key role in the development of Nick Woltemade at Stuttgart, and that connection is relevant to Jaissle's new role. Woltemade struggled to fit into Newcastle's system last season, but the 4-2-3-1 formation Jaissle used at Al-Ahli could suit the 24-year-old as a number 10 or shadow striker. Hoeness is also someone Jaissle can turn to for advice on getting the best out of Newcastle's £69m record signing.
Jaissle's first senior coaching role abroad came in Denmark, where Alexander Zorniger, a former RB Leipzig head coach, appointed him as his assistant at Brøndby. "It was noticeable how far he was," Zorniger told The Athletic. "For such a young manager with so little experience, it was striking how few mistakes he made. Matthias thinks in different directions and is open for different approaches."
Salzburg pathway and a Liefering breakthrough
Jaissle returned to the Red Bull group in 2019 as head coach of RB Salzburg's youth team. Two years later he was given charge of FC Liefering, effectively Salzburg's reserve side, and led them to their highest ever finish of second place in Austria's second division. Benjamin Sesko, who Newcastle missed out on signing last summer before he joined Manchester United, scored 21 goals that season, and Jaissle later promoted him to the Salzburg first team when he was appointed manager in the summer of 2021.
Succeeding Jesse Marsch, Jaissle developed young players while also improving Salzburg's results. That combination is exactly what Newcastle sporting director Ross Wilson is looking for as the club shifts towards a trading model. "As a Salzburg coach you really have to get very talented young players to focus, grow tactically, become team players and mature, without losing the flair and confidence that comes with being a teenager," Tom Middler, Austrian football commentator and founder of the Other Bundesliga podcast, told Chronicle Live. "That requires a personal touch and finding the right moments to trust your players and give them the spotlight or a bit of protection, and he seemed to get that right in Austria. He's still very young as well, he played himself not long ago, and that surely made a difference with the Salzburg squad."
RB Salzburg's sporting director Christoph Freund described Jaissle's work with young players as "exceptional". The list of players he coached includes Sesko, now at Manchester United; Karim Adeyemi, who has joined Barcelona; Philipp Kohn, Monaco's number one goalkeeper; Noah Okafor, thriving at Leeds United; Luka Sucic, a Copa del Rey winner with Real Sociedad; and Strahinja Pavlovic, a regular at AC Milan.
In Salzburg, Jaissle won three trophies and became the first Salzburg manager to guide the club into the Champions League knockout stages, while also preparing players for moves to bigger clubs.
Al-Ahli and managing big names
That reputation attracted Al-Ahli, owned by the same PIF that owns Newcastle, in the summer of 2023. Al-Ahli had just been promoted and spent heavily, signing Edouard Mendy, Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Franck Kessie, Roger Ibanez, Gabri Veiga, Merih Demiral and Allan Saint-Maximin. Jaissle saw it as a chance to prove he could manage established stars as well as young talents.
"It was a huge opportunity at an ambitious club," Jaissle told GIVEMESPORT. "I had two really successful seasons with Salzburg, and I was fully prepared for a third. Then Al-Ahli made a sudden approach. The timing wasn't great, but I grabbed the chance with both hands. It all happened very fast, so it was a tough couple of days as I made my final decision to leave Salzburg."
"Al-Ahli set out a clear and long-term vision. They want to win titles. There was also the appeal of getting to know a new culture and league. And, I have to be honest, the money was a factor as well."
"I also wanted to coach top stars, and I was lucky enough to manage some talented players at Salzburg as well. I think to be a good coach and leader you need to work with big names and know how to manage different egos."
Jaissle overcame a difficult start in Jeddah to win back-to-back AFC Champions League titles in his last two seasons and the 2025 Saudi Super Cup. "At a bigger club a young manager has to claim the authority," Middler added. "I think having won two continental trophies will definitely help on that front. The squad balance was very different at Al Ahli with some hugely paid stars and other local players together in the squad, and he mastered that dynamic as well. He really won over the fans and ended up succeeding there."
His tactical approach has also evolved. At Salzburg he favoured a 4-4-2 diamond, while at Al-Ahli he moved towards a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. Jaissle has called it a "never-ending process because you always need to develop your ideas as a coach without abandoning your roots", and his roots remain the Red Bull philosophy of pressing high, playing with intensity and scoring from offensive transitions, a style Newcastle produced at their best under Howe.
Mohamed Qutob, a Saudi football expert, told BBC Newcastle: "He is going to land in Al-Ahli's history as the guy who finally brought the Champions League title to this club. He is a man who adapted to so many situations. He had Roberto Firmino not at his best and he decided to drop him out of the Saudi Pro League squad and only played him in the Asian continental competitions because he wanted his teams to go and press high which was something Roberto Firmino, at his age, couldn't deliver."
A test in the Premier League
Newcastle's announcement on Thursday that Jaissle had been lined up to succeed Howe came after a summer of change. Anthony Gordon, Kieran Trippier and Sandro Tonali have left, while captain Bruno Guimaraes could also depart for Arsenal. Jaissle arrives with an impressive 65.22% win rate, but the Premier League and a Newcastle squad in transition will present a different challenge.
"One thing he has struggled with at Al-Ahli is to motivate the players to repeat the same thing against lower profile clubs," Qutob added. "He would always turn up in the derby against Al-Ittihad, always play well against Al-Hilal and in Asia, obviously, but against lower profile teams he quite struggled a bit. This reflects in some early knockouts in the domestic cup."
"But generally speaking he has a positive attitude and his teams play a high press, direct football, and that should really work well with the atmosphere at Newcastle and St James' Park, if he gets the right tools."
"One thing about Jaissle is he is vocal about what he needs. When he needed some signings he did speak about his club not getting as much attention as the other clubs would get by the PIF so I would expect him to demand some support, to ask for some players and to be honest about what he needs for the club to progress."
The bigger test may be winning over Newcastle supporters. Howe quickly connected with the club's values and meaning to fans, while Jaissle's personality has been described as "very different" and even "slick". There is a risk he could be seen as a "yes man", a criticism aimed at managers in the Mike Ashley era, unless he builds trust quickly.
"I think he's a really talented coach, when he left Austria for Saudi it was a shock," Middler concluded. "At that time he was one of Europe's most coveted young coaches, and he staked his reputation on the Al Ahli move and made it work with 2 ACL wins. He's a bold coach, can come across as quite a serious figure, maybe a bit too 'slick' for some to warm to."
"In terms of the club culture and fans, Newcastle is just a world away from Salzburg and Al Ahli. This will be a big, big task for him to really identify with the club and not fall into a more business-like leadership role."
"I think he'll try his very best to roll his sleeves up and become a figure who gels with the club, but it's hard to predict for a young manager whether that's something that he can do in a way which keeps the fans happy. Some early results and some big early decisions could be make or break for him on this. Can he win over the fans after only managing in lesser leagues?"
"He's very different to Howe, which is a concern given how well Howe fit, but it's probably a good time for him to come in and have a chance to mould the squad his own way."
"He's got the tools to be a success, but it is a big step up and he's going to have to win some favour this season if he's going to be a long-term leader at Newcastle. I hope it works out for him and the club."
