Here’s what we know about Matthias Jaissle, the top choice to replace Eddie Howe at Newcastle.
Newcastle is moving quickly to appoint Matthias Jaissle as Eddie Howe’s replacement after it was confirmed that Howe will be leaving St James’ Park.
Howe stayed on despite a tough season where Newcastle finished 12th and were knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona with an 8-3 aggregate score. But after losing key players like Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, and with captain Bruno Guimaraes possibly heading to Premier League champions Arsenal, Howe told the club he wants to take a break after five years as manager.
Howe, who helped Newcastle win their first trophy in 70 years, was in charge during a 4-1 friendly loss to Bristol City. Now, the club is working fast to find a new manager with the Premier League season starting soon. According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, they are interested in Matthias Jaissle, who currently manages Al Ahli.
Jaissle, 38, has been with Al Ahli since 2023. The team is also owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), like Newcastle. He has won two Asian Champions League titles and has a strong win rate of over 65%. Before that, he won two Austrian Bundesliga titles with Red Bull Salzburg and led them to the Champions League knockout stages for the first time, taking over from Jesse Marsch.
As a player, Jaissle spent his whole 11-year career at Hoffenheim in Germany after moving from Stuttgart as a teenager. Unfortunately, injuries, including a serious ACL tear, forced him to retire at 26. After retirement, Ralf Rangnick, who had signed him at Hoffenheim, gave him a chance in coaching.
Jaissle started as an assistant with RB Leipzig’s under-16 team and then worked at Brondby before returning to coach Salzburg’s youth teams. He eventually managed Salzburg’s reserve team and became head coach of the main team at just 33 when Marsch left.
Known for his high-pressing, fast, and attacking style, Jaissle said, “I want to pressure the opponent as soon as possible. When we win the ball, I want to move quickly toward the opponent’s goal. I’m very vertical in my approach.”
He was dismissed by Salzburg just before the 2023/24 season and soon moved to Al Ahli, where he has managed 138 games with 90 wins, 25 draws, and 23 losses.
Jaissle was once linked with AC Milan before Ruben Amorim got that job. He is one of the highest-paid managers, earning about £9.6 million a year at Al Ahli. His contract runs until 2027, and he has worked with stars like Riyad Mahrez, Ivan Toney, and Roberto Firmino during his time there.