Jaissle: Newcastle 'aligned' on squad adjustments before Liverpool
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- Matthias Jaissle, who replaced Eddie Howe as Newcastle head coach in early August, says the club are "aligned" on the need for further squad adjustments in the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
- Newcastle United lost key players Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer alongside Howe's departure, but have brought in seven new signings — four under the age of 21, including 18-year-old Sean Steur from Ajax.
- Jaissle recently landed one of his former players, Amar Dedic from Benfica, and asked for patience with the young signings as they adapt to the Premier League's rigours.
- Jaissle acknowledged the timing of his appointment was "not ideal" but said he was "really optimistic for the future," stressing that the management knows the squad's needs and that he trusts the players already at the club.
- Newcastle host Liverpool on Super Sunday (4:30pm kick-off, live on Sky Sports), giving Jaissle just three-and-a-half weeks at the club for his first major fixture, which he expects will feature an "outstanding atmosphere."
- The Liverpool match will include tributes to Kevin Keegan, the Newcastle and Liverpool legend who passed away over the summer, with Jaissle saying "I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it."
Why it matters: Newcastle see themselves as top-four contenders, yet Jaissle inherits a squad gutted by the exits of Guimaraes, Tonali and Gordon and rebuilt around seven signings — four of them teenagers. His three-and-a-half-week audition begins immediately against Liverpool at St James' Park, meaning the Magpies' season-defining rebuild is being judged from day one.
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