Newcastle appoint Matthias Jaissle on four-year deal until 2030
Matthias Jaissle has signed a four-year deal to become head coach of Newcastle United until 2030, the club announced on Wednesday. He is 38.
Jaissle arrives after managerial spells with Al-Ahli and Red Bull Salzburg, having delivered success in Saudi Arabia and Austria, but this will be the first time he has coached in one of Europe's top five leagues and the club described the appointment as an element of risk similar to their signings of young players from the continent. The move comes amid significant squad turnover: Newcastle finished 12th last season, lost Alexander Isak, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon within a year, and are set to lose captain Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal.
In the statement announcing his appointment on Wednesday, Jaissle said it was an "incredible honour" to become head coach of "one of the biggest clubs in European football". "My teams are built on togetherness, hard work, intensity and a passion to improve every single day," he added. "I believe there is enormous potential within this squad and throughout the football club. "I give my complete commitment and total energy to bringing further success to Newcastle United." There has been no time to waste since Jaissle arrived at Newcastle's pre-season training camp in Spain at the weekend and, a source said, "He will try to understand the culture, what Newcastle means to the community, as soon as possible. "That's what he will live by."
Succession to Eddie Howe presents a clear challenge. "It won't be easy to succeed Eddie [Howe]," a source said, noting Howe took charge of a side in relegation trouble, kept them up, ended Newcastle's long wait for silverware by winning the EFL Cup in 2025 and qualified for the Champions League on multiple occasions.
Jaissle's remit at St James' Park is to develop players and to outperform clubs with bigger wage bills, while maintaining high training standards. "We did lots of small-sided games to keep the intensity high and if someone had not been giving it their all, he called them out on it," said former Salzburg midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic. "He's not afraid to address things head-on." Jaissle, a former defender with Hoffenheim, was a few months younger than Junuzovic when he took charge of Salzburg in 2021 and challenged the midfielder to improve and earn his place; Junuzovic said Jaissle "kept his word" when he did.
Jaissle has brought a group of coaches and analysts to quickly transmit his methods, a process Al-Ahli defender Merih Demiral described from firsthand experience. "Looking forward to going to training every day was so important," Demiral said. "They paid great attention to every detail and always made sure we were fully prepared. "Matthias has built a really strong team around him and they played a huge role in our success." On Jaissle's mentality, Demiral added: "The best way to describe him is his mentality. "Even if we were losing 2-0 or 3-0, he never lost his belief. He always believed in his players and prepared us with the same mindset in training. "This is one of the main reasons why we managed to come back and win so many matches." Newcastle's squad has seen its average age drop significantly this summer, but Jaissle still has experienced figures such as Dan Burn and Fabian Schar available in the dressing room.
Tactically, Jaissle has primarily used a high-pressing 4-4-2 when opponents are building from the back and his teams have shown a capacity to step forward collectively from a mid-block into a high press. Red Bull Salzburg have not won the league since Jaissle departed following his second successive triumph three years ago, and they have not reached the Champions League knockout stage since doing so for the first time under Jaissle in 2022, when they were beaten 8-1 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in the last 16. Jaissle later adapted his approach at Al-Ahli, winning back-to-back Asian Champions League titles while his side conceded the fewest goals in the Saudi Pro League last season, and he has been willing to platform players according to their individual strengths.
Jaissle's first competitive game is against Liverpool on Sunday, 23 August. At 38, he becomes the Premier League's second-youngest current head coach.
