Former Newcastle United captain Kevin Nolan has said the club need to sign a new centre-half, a new midfielder and a new number nine in the January transfer window, and has warned that head coach Matthias Jaissle could come under serious pressure if he loses three of the next four matches.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Nolan described Jaissle's start to life at St James' Park as 'average', with the side sitting 12th in the Premier League after 10 matches, having picked up three wins, three draws and four defeats. Nolan said the German head coach will need reinforcements in January to help the Magpies move in the right direction.
An average start and a need for help
"It has been an average start for him and that's good," Nolan told talkSPORT. "I don't think we can expect anything else or anything more because the calibre of player, even if the potential is there, has gone down at this moment of time in Newcastle's team from where it was last season."
Nolan added that Jaissle has already discussed his needs with people "with a bit of personality and a few more older heads," and stressed the coach is learning the league and his players while being part of a project. He pointed to the departures of Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Isak, saying the team has lost presence in the dressing room and goals, and lacks a number nine.
Reinforcements down the spine
"They've all gone out, and they haven't really got that number nine, so I think he's going to need help all the way down the spine," Nolan said. He noted that while Dan Burn, Schar and Thiaw are available, another centre-half is needed, and he believes the midfield also requires support.
"But certainly in the midfield, I feel like they need a hand and that number nine," he added.
A daunting run of fixtures
Newcastle have had statistically the easiest run of fixtures of any Premier League side and now face a difficult set of games before the end of the year. United play Arsenal and Brighton, the top two sides in the league, before taking on Manchester United and local rivals Sunderland at St James' Park.
"I believe if he loses three out of four of them, he'll be under massive pressure," Nolan added. "I hope he's not, because I hope he's given the opportunity, because you want to see young managers doing well."
Nolan described Jaissle as "a very charismatic man" and said everyone he speaks to in Newcastle about him has nothing but positives to say. However, he stressed results are the ultimate measure, noting Arsenal are a "well-oiled machine" and Brighton are "free-scoring" at this moment in time. He also referenced the derby against Sunderland, noting Newcastle lost it last year and that it did not go down well, adding: "Four big games, let's hope that it comes out of them in a positive manner."
