Matthias Jaissle has not worked for the Red Bull group for three years, yet its influence over the German remains evident.
“Energy”, “energetic” and “energised” were the oft-repeated words used by those inside Newcastle United’s La Manga training camp to describe the uplift over recent days since Jaissle succeeded Eddie Howe as head coach. Sometimes, an uptick in vitality comes about by new faces, rather than by consuming energy drinks.
Club records have been broken on the training pitch in Spain when it comes to intensity and physical output, according to James Bunce, the performance director, and Jaissle’s key messages have been about pressing, power, stamina and verticality. The 38-year-old wants his Newcastle team to attack and he wants them to do so by getting the ball forward as swiftly as possible.
He is even known to sprint around the training pitch himself, mirroring what he asks his players to do, covering almost as much ground as them.
The parallels are not absolute with Howe’s arrival on Tyneside in November 2021, but they are real. After almost five years at the helm, freshness was required — a conclusion Howe himself came to — and the onset of a new era has created a buzz around this camp.
Admittedly, whenever a head coach arrives in any job, there are similarly encouraging noises and cliches, and spirits are almost always high during a club’s pre-season. But according to one well-placed insider, this is the most positive atmosphere they have witnessed during a training camp, which is quite the claim.
The Newcastle hierarchy always foresaw a response from the players to Jaissle’s arrival, but insiders claim the size of the boost has exceeded even their highest expectations. There is a real connection with the players, they insist, perhaps because of his age (10 years younger than Howe) and coaching style.
When outlining his vision for “Newcastle United 2.0” during an exclusive interview with The Athletic this week, David Hopkinson, the chief executive, described Jaissle as being “like fire” and “a rock star”. On the touchline, he may be combustible, yet the first impression of his press-conference technique — albeit in a hasty 10-minute briefing in a cramped corner of a hotel bar — is one of calmness and being keen to give little-to-nothing away, rather than someone who is going to really bring the noise.
“I always have big ambitions,” Jaissle said. “That’s the key element for every coach — otherwise, I would not be here.”
Jaissle arriving at Spain’s La Manga resort last week to take over as Newcastle coach (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
There is also a stark reality about the situation Jaissle is inheriting, with Bruno Guimaraes, the influential captain, set to follow Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali out of the club this summer. A fresh focus on youth and potential has been adopted, and Jaissle accepts this is likely to be a “transition season” for Newcastle and that it may be a “long, long journey” to get to where they want to go.
“It was a really, really successful story under Eddie. There’s huge respect for what he was building, and now there are many, many changes. But that’s a chance, and we want to build on that chance and start growing,” Jaissle said. “There are so many transitions, many players left, big players, legends. But we need to see it as a chance, not having too many excuses now, just thinking forward (of) what we can influence.”
Despite only being officially confirmed, finally, on Wednesday evening, Jaissle has been with the squad in Spain since the weekend. During the interview process, he assured Newcastle he could get his ideas across inside three weeks of training ahead of the season’s first Premier League match against Liverpool on August 23 — something he is “confident” he can still do, even if the situation is far from ideal.
Alexander Hauser, Engin Yanova and Florens Koch have arrived as assistant coaches, while Maximilian Fischer and Steffen Konrad are Jaissle’s analysts. Alexander Bade has joined as a goalkeeper coach. This tight-knit group have worked together long term and Jaissle has brought them with him, while also inheriting other staff, including Martin Mark, the set-piece coach, and it is that familiarity which he will lean upon.
Jaissle arrived in La Manga before Guimaraes, who flew into Spain on Monday following a post-World Cup holiday, and had a “quick, nice conversation” with the Brazilian.
“The decision (to sell him to Arsenal) was already made,” Jaissle said of the club’s former captain, who broke down in tears during an emotional farewell speech to his team-mates yesterday. “It’s tough, and we need to deal with it at a later stage. We trust the players who are here already, but we will also see some changes.”
Bruno Guimaraes is leaving Newcastle after four and a half years (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
With so much upheaval over the past week, there was also physical representation from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Newcastle’s majority owner, with Jacobo Solis, who sits on the club’s board, present and visible. Jamie Reuben, the minority owner, was also in attendance so that both could be immediately available for decision-making.
For all the platitudes and positivity surrounding Jaissle, there is still so much that needs to be done — and nobody is pretending otherwise.
There is a gaping Guimaraes-shaped hole in the team, one that will be difficult and probably expensive to even try to fill, though the suggestion is that a midfield arrival is not necessarily imminent. Newcastle are closely guarding their list of targets, yet efforts have ramped up since the back end of last week, once it became clear the Brazilian’s exit was inevitable.
With that opener at home to Liverpool coming up fast, Jaissle has to select a new captain, never mind attempt to find a way of replacing Guimaraes’ creativity, infectious personality and game-defining ability.
At least one full-back, but ideally more, is also required, and further attacking reinforcements may join. Around £150million ($201.8m) has been invested in five new signings this summer, four of whom are aged 20 or under, and there is an acceptance that, ideally, experience and leadership would be brought in during the final few weeks of the window, given what has been lost already.
However, Jaissle insists that he has come in to “work with young players”, reflecting the shift in strategy. The German and his staff are thought to have taken a shine to 20-year-old Lewis Miley, who is set to be given a prominent role this summer.
Lewis Miley could be an important player under Jaissle (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
“I have some clear ideas, but I want to give the players who are here a chance,” Jaissle said, when asked about gaps to fill within the squad. “It is a new challenge for them and we can wait. We have the capacity to do something in the market, and our sporting director (Ross Wilson) is aware of that. When the season starts, we will see some more new faces.”
Jaissle was non-committal on whether he, like his predecessor, would retain the final say on signings. He talked about “unity”, making “collective decisions” and “being transparent in the way we think”, suggesting a collaborative approach with Wilson and the recruitment team.
Three key players have been sold for around £245million combined since last season but Newcastle are adamant Lewis Hall, amid interest from Manchester United, and Joelinton will not also be leaving. They do foresee further exits, but those are reserved for players who did not feature in Howe’s plans and are not expected to be part of Jaissle’s vision, either.
Nick Pope, the 34-year-old goalkeeper, has been permitted to leave, following Lukas Hornicek’s arrival from Braga as the new first-choice at the position, though firm offers have yet to arrive. Joe Willock is into the final year of his deal and is also available. There is interest in Willock, but whether he will be permitted to leave before a Guimaraes successor is secured remains to be seen.
For now, Saturday’s friendly against Valencia will give us the first glimpse of what Jaissle’s Newcastle may look like.
The club have made a series of calculated gambles this summer, radically reducing the wage bill and average age of the squad, and bringing in a young and relatively unknown coach to oversee this huge rebuild. Hopkinson claims Newcastle sifted through around 178 names before they landed on Jaissle’s and, while he may not have been the only coach the club spoke with, he was their No 1 choice once Howe told the club he wanted to leave on the eve of pre-season starting.
Rather than be daunted by the challenge, Jaissle is embracing it.
“This is something I don’t have on my CV,” Jaissle said. “At one point it has to be your first step, and I’m now at that moment, after being successful in Saudi Arabia and Austria. Everyone was dreaming about being a part of the Premier League — and now here we are.”
Jaissle has undoubtedly brought fresh energy to Newcastle — can he bring fresh success?
