According to ESPN, Newcastle United’s owners are in the process of hiring a new head coach after five years and sources told ESPN on Thursday that Eddie Howe is set to leave his role 25 days before Newcastle’s first game of the season against Liverpool. The report says Al Ahli head coach Matthias Jaissle is the man reportedly lined up to replace him.
ESPN traces Jaissle’s career from his playing days through his rapid rise in coaching. The German came through Stuttgart’s academy, was capped by Germany at under-21 level and made 65 appearances for Hoffenheim before being forced to retire in 2014 at age 25 because of injury. He began coaching soon after, becoming Brøndby assistant manager in 2017 and joining RB Salzburg as under-18 coach two years later.
Jaissle took his first senior head-coaching job at FC Liefering for the second half of the 2020-21 season and led the team to second place in the Austrian Second League. He replaced Jesse Marsch at RB Salzburg and won the Austrian Bundesliga in both of his seasons there, took Salzburg to the Champions League knockout phases for the first time in the club’s history and oversaw the development of players including Karim Adeyemi, Benjamin Šeško and Noah Okafor. He was sacked in 2023, reportedly because of his desire to join Al Ahli, and subsequently became the Saudi club’s head coach.
At Al Ahli, Jaissle has continued to find success, leading the club to back-to-back AFC Champions League titles in 2024-25 and 2025-26. ESPN describes his teams as operating in the Red Bull mould: aggressive, intelligent pressing and quick transitions. He has varied formations, using a 4-4-2 diamond at Salzburg with Brenden Aaronson supporting forwards and a 4-2-3-1 at Al Ahli with Galeno and Riyad Mahrez on the flanks and Ivan Toney as the central striker.
ESPN suggests Jaissle’s preferred 4-2-3-1 could suit Newcastle’s squad, with full-backs such as Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento expected to support wide attackers. The report notes that Bazoumana Touré, signed for £42 million after five goals and 12 assists for Hoffenheim last season, would likely fit Jaissle’s wing role, while new arrivals Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur could occupy holding midfield positions, particularly if Bruno Guimarães departs. Information from PA contributed to this report.
