Jaissle Favourite to Replace Howe as Newcastle Boss
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- Eddie Howe is set to leave St James' Park after nearly five years in charge, having replaced Steve Bruce in November 2021 and delivered Newcastle's first domestic trophy in 70 years via the 2025 Carabao Cup.
- Matthias Jaissle, currently in charge of Saudi side Al-Ahli, is the surprise favourite to take over as Newcastle head coach after leading Al-Ahli to consecutive Asian Champions League titles in 2025 and 2026.
- Jaissle previously won the Austrian Bundesliga twice and the Austrian Cup once as RB Salzburg manager from 2021, having guided feeder club Liefering to second place in Austria's second tier.
- England boss Thomas Tuchel was a youth coach at Stuttgart when Jaissle was a player there, and Tuchel said Jaissle gave him 'fantastic feedback' on Al-Ahli striker Ivan Toney before naming him in the Three Lions' World Cup squad.
- Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League last season, missing out on European football for 2026-27, and lost key players including Alexander Isak (£125m to Liverpool), Sandro Tonali (to Tottenham) and Anthony Gordon (to Barcelona).
- Jaissle's teams are known for high-pressing attacking football and forcing turnovers high up the pitch — a style Newcastle's Saudi ownership will have noted alongside his trophy record.
- The Magpies open their league campaign at home against Liverpool on Sunday, 23 August, following a 4-1 pre-season friendly defeat to Championship side Bristol City.
Why it matters: Newcastle are about to hand the keys to a 38-year-old manager with no Premier League experience and only two seasons at RB Salzburg, despite a disastrous 12th-place finish, three key departures (Isak for £125m, Tonali, Gordon), and Arsenal chasing captain Bruno Guimaraes. Jaissle's prior relationship with Tuchel and access to Ivan Toney, a proven Premier League striker now in Saudi Arabia, gives Newcastle a potential recruitment lever just as their squad is being stripped.
