Newcastle United

Former Newcastle United defender John Anderson has admitted he "didn't know anything" about Matthias Jaissle before his appointment, but he doesn't believe the German head coach should be written off because of that.

Some Newcastle fans - which you can read below - have called the 38 years old a "shrewd appointment".

Speaking on BBC Radio Newcastle, Anderson delivered his own verdict, stating: "If I'm being perfectly honest, I had to look him up just like everybody else. He did well in Austria and Saudi Arabia, but the one thing you would say is the Premier League is a different kind of animal.

"We have seen unknown managers come to the Premier League and be successful, though. For example, Bournemouth and Brentford have taken managers that nobody has heard of before and they have turned them into a success.

"So you've got to give the boy a chance. We might not know a great deal about him, but he is young so he will be hungry.

"He speaks very well and he likes front-footed football, which is what supporters want to see.

"It will be difficult for him there's no doubt about it, especially because he has already lost some of his best players, but hopefully a few players come in before the window closes.

"But you most definitely have to give the man an opportunity."

Listen to the full conversation below or listen on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your views on Newcastle's new manager Matthias Jaissle.

Here are some of your comments:

Michael: I know pundits are writing Newcastle off this season and so are some of the fans but I'm optimistic and hope Matthias Jaissle can prove people wrong and we end up having a really good season. Just look at how Sunderland surprised everyone, how well their season went last year. Obviously Jaissle has been successful at his previous clubs so let's hope he can bring that to Newcastle United.

Chris: Jaissle seems like a shrewd appointment, he has done well where he's managed and seems to value the sort of identity the fans want. Happy he's joined, but it's been a difficult off-season with lots of unforeseen changes. Onwards and hopefully upwards!

John: I hope he can deliver the project target - to be a dominant force in European football. Won't be easy given the financial shackles that have been unfairly imposed on the club by the Premier League, but he talks the talk and will hopefully surprise us all.

Jerry: Our new manager will do great, he's wrapping a new team around him and we will succeed.

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle has confirmed his backroom staff set-up ahead of his first season in charge at St James' Park.

The former Al-Ahli boss, who becomes the Premier League's second-youngest current head coach, was unveiled as Eddie Howe's successor after his resignation last month.

Here are the new additions to Jaissle's staff:

• Alexander Hauser - assistant coach

• Engin Yanova - assistant coach

• Florens Koch - assistant coach

• Maximilian Fischer - coach analyst

• Steffen Konrad - coach analyst

• Alexander Bade - goalkeeper coach

The six new faces join following the announcement that coaches Jason Tindall, Graeme Jones, Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone, plus head of performance Dan Hodges, have left the club with Howe.

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Matthias Jaissle's predecessor Eddie Howe had similar principles in terms of building a side around physical intensity, pressing and direct attacks.

The German primarily uses a high-pressing 4-4-2 when the opposition are building from the back.

Even when his teams are pushed into more of a mid-block, they have shown an impressive understanding of when to step forward and transition into a high press as a collective.

Howe's defensive tactics should align well with the Red Bull Salzburg style of pressing, which could make it easier for the players to buy into Jaissle's methods.

What Howe was criticised for towards the end of his tenure, though, was a supposed lack of adaptability.

After joining Al-Ahli, Jaissle inherited a mosaic of superstars and less experienced Saudi players - a wildly different challenge from coaching a Red Bull club with consistency and understanding in style from youth level through to first team.

While he retained his coaching principles, he recognised the need to platform players according to their individual strengths within that framework.

The Premier League is constantly evolving, with coaches designing new counter-measures to tactics that appear to work from one week to the next.

If Jaissle is going to succeed in the English top flight, that agility will be a vital asset.

Read the full article here

Ciaran Kelly
Newcastle United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Matthias Jaissle has quite an act to follow at Newcastle United. As a source said: "It won't be easy to succeed Eddie Howe."

Just like Newcastle's moves to sign young players from the continent, there is an element of risk with this appointment as the club bring in a manager who has never coached in the Premier League before.

Jaissle delivered success in Saudi Arabia and Austria - with Al-Ahli and Red Bull Salzburg respectively - but this will be the first time he has sampled life in one of Europe's top five leagues.

He becomes the Premier League's second-youngest current head coach at 38 years old, and his first competitive game is against Liverpool on Sunday, 23 August.

There has been no time to waste since he arrived at the club's pre-season training camp in Spain at the weekend.

"He will try to understand the culture and what Newcastle means to the community as soon as possible," added a source. "That's what he will live by."

Howe certainly set the standard, however last season was a bruising one domestically.

The club now need a progressive manager to start a new cycle and build on what he did at the peak of his reign.

Effectively, Jaissle's remit will be to develop players and outperform clubs with bigger wage bills - and the squad should expect him to be just as demanding as his predecessor in training.

"We did lots of small-sided games to keep the intensity high," said former Salzburg midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic. "If someone had not been giving it their all, he called them out on it. He isn't afraid to address things head-on."

He also brings with him a group of coaches and analysts who will look to quickly get his message across - Al-Ahli defender Merih Demiral knows that better than most.

"They paid great attention to every detail and always made sure we were fully prepared," Demiral said. "He has built a really strong team around him and they played a huge role in our success."

Read more on the appointment

Image source, Getty Images

New head coach Matthias Jaissle says he "fully and unreservedly" believes in the Newcastle United project.

The club have confirmed the 38-year-old's immediate appointment following the departure of Eddie Howe last month.

Jaissle joins from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli, where he lead the club to back-to-back AFC Champions League title, having previously been in charge at RB Salzburg for two seasons, securing the Austrian Bundesliga twice and also the Austrian Cup once.

Speaking to club media, Jaissle said: "It is an incredible honour to become head coach of Newcastle United. This is one of the biggest clubs in European football, with a unique history, identity and supporter base, and I am excited to experience that passion and connection first-hand.

"When Newcastle United comes your way, you take notice. The ambition of the club, the vision for the future and the opportunity ahead made this an incredibly compelling place to be. I have followed the club's journey closely in recent years and the progress that has been made is clear for everyone to see.

"I am incredibly excited about the future. I fully and unreservedly believe in this project, the ambition and the direction the club is taking. There is a clear vision, strong leadership and an exceptional platform to build on.

"My teams are built on togetherness, hard work, intensity and a passion to improve every single day. I will bring full commitment, full energy and a determination to give everything I have to help this club achieve its ambitions.

"I believe there is enormous potential within this squad and throughout the football club. I am excited to work with the players, staff and leadership team to help take the club forward.

"I cannot wait to get started and will attack this opportunity. I give my complete commitment and total energy to bringing further success to Newcastle United."

The German will get straight to work with the side, who face Valencia in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, with his coaching team to be announced shortly.

David Hopkinson, Newcastle United CEO, said on the appointment: "Matthias is one of the most exciting and highly regarded young coaches in football and I'm thrilled to welcome him to Newcastle United.

"We have conducted a thorough process, and he has emerged as the clear candidate for the role. He possesses all the qualities we were looking for.

"His track record of success, leadership qualities and relentless drive to improve make him an exceptional fit for Newcastle United. We believe he is the right person to lead the club into the next phase of our journey."

Now Jaissle is here, what are the first things on his in-tray as he takes charge of the Magpies?

Get in touch with your views here

The 2026-27 Premier League season has not yet kicked off, but it has already made history.

Nine clubs are set to begin the campaign with a new permanent manager - the highest number ever for the top flight's opening weekend.

The scale of turnover has dramatically reshaped the Premier League's managerial landscape.

The upheaval did not begin this summer. The 2025-26 Premier League season featured 11 managerial changes, with Forest among the clubs to make multiple appointments during the campaign.

The average tenure of a top-flight boss now stands at about 20 months, illustrating just how fleeting life in one of football's most demanding jobs can now be.

Recent history also suggests changing manager offers no guarantees. During the 2025-26 season, several clubs that switched coaches continued to struggle. Forest employed three managers during the campaign, Tottenham changed head coach twice, while Chelsea also altered direction before the season ended.

Others, however, did enjoy an immediate uplift. Michael Carrick averaged 2.6 points per game across his first five matches as Manchester United boss, while Liam Rosenior collected the same return after taking charge of Chelsea. Rosenior's tenure ultimately proved short-lived, though, with the Blues winning just one of his final eight Premier League matches before he was dismissed.

• Read more on a summer of change

Research discussed in the Financial Times,, external external, drawing on findings from Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski, argues that player quality and spending remain stronger predictors of results than managerial changes alone.

Sports consultancy Twenty First Group says coaches often succeed or fail according to the environment they inherit as much as their own abilities.

Since the Premier League began in 1992, only six managers have won the title in their first season in charge of their club.

Mourinho became the first to achieve the feat with Chelsea in 2004-05, before Carlo Ancelotti repeated it with the same club in 2009-10.

Manuel Pellegrini guided Manchester City to the title in his debut campaign in 2013-14, Claudio Ranieri masterminded Leicester City's remarkable triumph in 2015-16, Conte won the league in his first season at Chelsea in 2016-17, and most recently Slot led Liverpool to the championship in his maiden campaign in 2025-26.

With almost half the division beginning the campaign under new leadership, the Premier League enters one of its most unpredictable seasons in recent memory.

Katharine Sharpe and Simon Casson
BBC Sport senior journalists

The 2025-26 Premier League and Championship seasons included the introduction of squad-cost ratio rules on a shadow basis, testing to see how a spending cap for squad costs set at a percentage of a club's total revenues might work.

These SCR regulations have now been permanently implemented for the 2026-27 season, replacing previous profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

Uefa has a 70% SCR cap for European competitions, so Premier League clubs who qualified for Europe fall in line with this limit.

Clubs who did not qualify for Europe, and so are only taking part in domestic competitions, are capped at 85% of their total revenue.

However, clubs can spend above the 85% limit by using a multi-year rolling allowance of 30%. This allows them to invest ahead of revenue and variance or sporting underperformance.

Every club will start this coming season on 85% + 30% allowance, so effectively 115%.

If a club spends 105% on their squad in 2026-27, it means they have used 20% of their allowance, and for 2027-28 their maximum spend before potential sporting sanction is 95%.

If a club spend less than 85%, they can increase the allowance again to the maximum of 30%.

Spending above 85% but under the allowance results in a financial penalty, whereas going over both the 85% and the allowance will land the club a fixed six-point deduction which increases by one point for every £6.5m spent over the 115%.

'Anchoring' was also trialled in 2025-26, which meant any club's spending could not exceed a multiple of income earned by the bottom-placed club - however this was rejected at a vote of Premier League clubs.

SCR was approved by a vote of 14 clubs to six, and was introduced alongside sustainability and systemic resilience (SSR) regulations.

SSR involves three tests that are applied throughout the season:

Working capital test - assesses short-term cash resources

Liquidity test - assesses medium-term liquidity and resilience

Positive equity test -assesses long-term financial health

The aim of the SCR and SSR regulations is to stop the richest owners providing endless funds to their clubs to sign new players, as any money injected this way does not count as seasonal revenue.

They will also aim to prevent clubs from overspending and accruing unmanageable losses.

Read more about the rules here

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Arsenal have a leadership group that supports club captain Martin Odegaard but, with the addition of Bruno Guimaraes, they will be bringing in a player who is a natural leader.

Guimaraes became Newcastle's talisman during his time at St James' Park and, as Arteta looks to maximise every marginal gain he can, the Brazilian's ability and his way of connecting with supporters will be another weapon.

Arsenal have had campaigns seriously affected by injury, but Guimaraes has missed just 16 Premier League games since he signed for Newcastle in 2022.

And his impact is backed up by the fact Newcastle's win percentage (12.5%), points per game (0.7), average goals for (0.8) and even average goals against (1.6) all suffer in the top flight when he is not available.

Although it is an admittedly larger sample size, Opta data shows that Newcastle's win percentage (50.7%), points per game (1.7), average goals for (1.9) and average goals against (1.3) have been significantly higher when Guimaraes has featured.

Guimaraes was Newcastle's top scorer in the league last season with nine goals and he provided four assists for Brazil at the World Cup in his five starts.

Despite missing six games with hamstring injury towards the end of last season, Guimaraes still ranked in the top five players across the league for defensive line-breaking passes (46) and through balls (21).

He also led the way at Newcastle for passes under high intensity pressure (998), which illustrates how he relishes responsibility.

Staff at Newcastle have called him an "inspirational" figure and Arsenal and Arteta will be hoping he can produce the same feeling at Emirates Stadium.

Read more here

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The decision to leave Newcastle for Arsenal wasn't an easy one for Bruno Guimaraes.

The Brazil international is the captain of the Magpies; his emotional attachment to the club runs deep.

He understands what it means to play for Newcastle - not just for him but for the club's supporters.

There will be some fans who will question all that after Guimaraes made clear he wanted to join Arsenal earlier this summer.

Yet they shouldn't forget Guimaraes joined Newcastle when the club were fighting relegation, when joining wasn't necessarily as big a sell as it is today.

He helped the club exceed those early expectations of simply staying in the Premier League by becoming an integral member of a team under Eddie Howe that won the club's first trophy in 70 years and qualified for the Champions League.

To that end, even when he'd decided he wanted to leave for London, the 28-year-old continued to do right by Newcastle when others before him have not been quite so respectful in their efforts to leave St James' Park.

No doubt, that will be a factor why Newcastle have relented in their ambitions to keep Guimaraes.

They recognise, too, his efforts, his commitment over the years and, most recently, the respect he has shown despite his desire to leave.

Ultimately, the lure of Arsenal was too much for Guimaraes to resist.

His ambitions to compete for the biggest trophies was a key factor for Guimaraes.

Arsenal will be among the favourites to win the Premier League and Champions League next season.

He is also enamoured by the prospect of playing next to Declan Rice in central midfielder - a partnership that has the potential to be one of the very best in European football.

For Guimaraes, this wasn't a move motivated by money.

And as he leaves Newcastle, he does so through the front door.

Image source, Getty Images

Does the arrival of two goalkeepers at Newcastle this summer mean the end for Nick Pope?

If so, he has been a fantastic servant, but for some the writing has been on the wall for sometime.

Earlier this week, fans on this page said the 34-year-old's "days were always coming to an end" after "many blunders and bad judgement".

A criticism has been his tendency for erratic interventions outside of his penalty area. Notable instances have been a red card received against Liverpool for handling way outside the box, him being left stranded to concede a goal against Marseille in the Champions League, and bringing down Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres towards the end of last season.

In October 2024, a Newcastle fan described him on these pages as a "calamity waiting to happen".

In June 2023, a year after the England international's arrival from Burnley, former Magpies defender John Anderson said Pope was an "absolutely phenomenal" goalkeeper but who "just doesn't look comfortable" playing out from the back and is "not happy" with the ball at his feet.

Lukas Hornicek, signed earlier this week for £25.7m from Benfica, is expected to be new head coach Mattias Jaissle's new number one, with the highly-rated 20-year-old Ewen Jaouen signed from Reims earmarked as an exciting prospect.

Despite his towering 6 ft 6in frame, 24-year-old Hornicek's ability as a 'sweeper keeper' is one of his valuable attributes.

Image source, Opta

As shown in the graphic above, he is happy to exit his penalty area. Only five goalkeepers in Europe's top 10 leagues last season recorded more keeper sweepings than Hornicek (45).

The Czech Republic international cleaned up on all 45 occasions, meaning his 100% success rate is only bettered by Barcelona's Joan Garcia (52/52).

Such data points to clear decision making when tricky moments occur around the penalty box.

In the Primera Liga, Opta data shows Hornicek ranked second for successful passes (846) and fourth for passing accuracy (75%) of goalkeepers in Portugal's top-flight last season.

A new number one was a priority for Newcastle this summer and, with an enforced squad rebuild after the departure of Eddie Howe and several key players, a change in goalkeeping style at St James' Park is also very much on the cards.

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle "really can't afford to lose" left-back Lewis Hall after the high-profile exits they have suffered recently, says BBC Sport's Magpies reporter Ciaran Kelly.

Captain Bruno Guimaraes looks set to be the latest senior figure to depart the club, following Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and head coach Eddie Howe already this summer.

Hall, 21, has impressed since his arrival from Chelsea in 2023, but has been strongly linked with a move back to the Blues and with Manchester United.

"I look at Lewis Hall and I think that is a red line," Kelly told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"If they were to lose Hall on top of the players who have already left in the last year then what would be left?

"There would be a lot of unproven players and at this rate Newcastle are going to be relying on players like Hall. He is still very young but he has reasonable Premier League experience, he knows what it means to play for Newcastle, and he is a fine left-back.

"I have no doubt he will get back into the England squad. You really have to hold onto him and he feels like someone they really can't afford to lose, especially with just a few weeks to go until the start of the season."

Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds

Ciaran Kelly
Football reporter

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Sam Alabi only signed his first professional contract in July, but the 17-year-old has his sights set on a senior debut for Newcastle this season.

The dynamic midfielder was named on the bench on a handful of occasions in the previous campaign after fearlessly holding his own in training with the first team.

Alabi went on to suffer a season-ending shin injury in January, but former head coach Eddie Howe backed the teenager to have a bright future if he continued to work hard.

Although Newcastle have since spent £57m on a couple of young midfielders in Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba, Alabi is one to watch as someone who has already captained England at youth level.

Honourable mention for Mason Miley (17, defender or midfielder).

Read more on youngsters to watch at each Premier League club this season

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BBC Sport's Newcastle United reporter Ciaran Kelly says there is "going to have to be a change" in chief executive David Hopkinson's aim to be "in the debate about being the top club in the world" by 2030 amid a summer of turmoil at St James' Park.

The bold five-year vision for the Magpies to become "perennial contenders" competing for the biggest prizes in the game was set out in December 2025, but key men Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have already departed this summer and captain Bruno Guimaraes looks likely to follow suit.

"I think it will be really interesting when we next hear from the chief executive and the sporting director about readjusting expectations," Kelly told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"Realistically, if you're losing that many key players, there has to be a recognition that these young players will take time to adapt to the Premier League, the physicality and intensity of it. We see even experienced players struggling.

"These young players have a lot of potential but they are going to need time and a lot of work on the training pitches.

"Let's not forget a new manager is coming in and its less than three weeks before the first game of the season against Liverpool.

"It's been a lot of change in one window and it's going to take time for it to come together.

"Certainly the idea that Newcastle by 2030 are the biggest club in the world - I think there is going to have to be a change overall."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport's Newcastle United reporter Ciaran Kelly provided the latest on Arsenal's pursuit of Magpies captain Bruno Guimaraes to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast:

"As far as we understand the clubs are now in formal talks.

"There has been a claim that Newcastle have rejected an opening bid from Arsenal and the player himself is at the training camp in Spain so I think this one is going to run a little while longer.

"Arsenal, as it's been reported, are confident still of signing Guimaraes.

"Whether this turns into an Alexander Isak-style saga, I'm not so sure.

"I think we should have a resolution one way or another far more swiftly than that.

"It feeds into Eddie Howe's wider decision to step down. If Guimaraes is to go then Newcastle will have lost four key players in less than a year. That is a huge rebuilding job for any manager."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The new season is almost upon us and yet another top manager has decided to take some time off.

Eddie Howe left Newcastle in a very honourable way as far as I can see. As the years have gone by the job description didn't exactly live up to what was said on the tin.

I am sure the owners would love to have given him more money, and initially thought they could but the Saudi Public Investment Fund is hamstrung within the guidelines – and the latest rule changes seem to make it even more onerous for them.

‌Eddie could have stayed but even though he lost around £400m worth of top players in a short period of time, he would have still got saddled with the blame for failure in the end, even though he has lifted the club a huge distance since he came in.

‌For some the stress just isn't worth it in the modern English Premier League. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp felt the same way even if their departures were different reasons.

‌In times gone past, this willingness to walk away to protect their mental well-being would have been seen as a weakness. Happily, because of the strength of these guys, it isn't the case anymore and I applaud them for changing those unhealthy attitudes in the game.

‌When you know you need a break after such a long intense slog, you should be allowed to take it without any stigma attached.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Arsenal have opened talks with Newcastle over the transfer of Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, 28, who they hope to sign for a fee between £70m and £80m. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

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Should a club build a new stadium or upgrade its current home in a bid to maintain some history? How significant is a new ground in terms of revenue generated? Will it move the needle?

BBC Sport has worked with football finance expert Kieran Maguire to consider the impact a new home has.

Take a look at your club's matchday revenue figures from 2024-25 below and get the full article here.