Matthias Jaissle admitted it is “clear” Newcastle United “cannot be at our peak” for their Premier League opener against Liverpool on Sunday week following a bruising 3-1 defeat against Everton at Murrayfield in Edinburgh.

The new head coach is hoping for “progress” in the transfer market “soon”, with a right-back and a controlling midfielder the immediate priorities — and such additions are appearing increasingly essential. Benfica full-back Amar Dedic, Marseille midfielder Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg, and Bayern Munich No 6 Joao Palhinha are among the names currently under discussion.

Jaissle did not rule out the possibility of additions before this weekend’s back-to-back friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and Strasbourg at St James’ Park, though accepted “it’s not in my hands” — and further incomings would provide a much-needed boost to a team which is short of leadership, game management and end product.

Newcastle actually started brightly on Wednesday evening, before Everton were gifted the lead. Sven Botman’s awful defensive error eventually allowed Thierno Barry to open the scoring.

Iliman Ndiaye doubled Everton’s advantage from the spot in the 36th minute, after Joelinton conceded a penalty for a foul on Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

At the break, Jaissle changed his entire outfield, with an academy defence fielded for the second half. Tyrique George added Everton’s third in the 73 minute, before Jacob Murphy laid on Harvey Barnes for Newcastle’s consolation, just as the eclipse commenced amid the clouds above Murrayfield.

Chris Waugh was in Edinburgh and these were the key takeaways…

Hall returns — will Dedic be joining?

The chronic lack of depth at full-back continues, even if Lewis Hall’s return from a knock did provide Jaissle with a senior left-back. Although Manchester United retain an interest in Hall, Newcastle are adamant he will not be departing.

Rather than lose another full-back, Newcastle desperately need to sign (at least) one, and Dedic is a target. The 23-year-old is predominantly a right-back but can play down both sides, which is desirable, and he worked under Jaissle at Red Bull Salzburg, so the German will be confident that Dedic can fulfil his demands swiftly.

Although Jaissle refused to confirm which positions he is looking to augment, he smirked when asked if he wanted a full-back and a midfielder. “You are also smart enough to see the needs in the squad,” he said. “We are aware of what we need and there’s still some time.”

Hall was back in action for Newcastle (Photo: Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images)

Leo Shahar, 19, made his third start of pre-season at right-back, while a defence made up of academy players ran out for the second half. None of Dylan Charlton, Miodrag Pivas, Henry Johnson or Mason Miley have made a competitive first-team appearance for Newcastle and, in all likelihood, few will be involved once the campaign begins.

The defensive issues extend further, too, with Botman at fault for another goal, while Fabian Schar, Tino Livramento and Lewis Miley are all racing against time to be fit for Liverpool. If Dedic or another full-back joins, they look set to be parachuted straight into the XI.

Captaincy trial continues but midfield addition is vital

Malick Thiaw started for the second match in succession, but Joelinton was surprisingly handed the armband in Edinburgh. The Brazilian’s temperament does not necessarily make him a natural choice, yet this highlights the leadership “vacuum” that Jaissle repeated that he feels exists following the exits of Bruno Guimaraes and other influential players.

During the second half, Murphy, who was part of the leadership team under Howe, assumed the captaincy, while Jaissle namechecked Dan Burn as a “leader”.

“Not closer than I told you,” Jaissle said when asked whether he is ready to name a captain. “For sure, not publicly. Closer, (yes) but at the right time I will let you know.”

Joelinton is a far-from-convincing No 6 in Jaissle’s 4-2-3-1 formation, too. Newcastle desperately need a player who can exert control, direct the team and provide a defensive screen, to accompany a ball player in the double pivot.

Joelinton started with the armband (Photo: Mark Scates/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Former Tottenham midfielder Hojbjerg remains a target, even if that deal is proving difficult, while Newcastle are interested in Palhinha, though they do not appear the favourites for his signature.

Four of Newcastle’s five signings have been aged 20 or under this summer, but Guimaraes’ exit has forced a tweak in approach. Without top-level experience being injected into this side — and quickly — Newcastle may face a testing season.

‘Peaking’ for Liverpool is not the only concern — goals are, too

Jaissle may be demonstrative on the touchline, yet in his media briefings he is calm and does not resort to hyperbole. While accepting Newcastle simply cannot “peak” against Liverpool due to the lack of time he has worked with the squad, he also stressed he is “making progress” and his team will be better — and less fatigued, given the intense training and friendly schedule to date — in 10 days’ time.

Regardless, one position Newcastle are not actively looking to strengthen is striker, yet goalscoring is proving to be a problem.

Barnes scores Newcastle’s goal (Photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

Will Osula ended last season in excellent form and has huge potential but the 23-year-old is still striving for consistency. Yoane Wissa scored twice in Valencia but was deployed as a No 10 in Edinburgh and missed a couple of good chances. Nick Woltemade, meanwhile, is still searching for a defined role in the team.

Barnes, who scored 16 goals last season, bagged Newcastle’s consolation at Murrayfield, yet there is an argument to suggest others are ahead of the winger in the pecking order.

Three signings provide cause for optimism

Bazoumana Toure plays the same position as Barnes and the left-footed left-winger has delivered two exciting cameos so far.

Against Everton, the 20-year-old repeatedly troubled Nathan Patterson, using his pace to get in behind the full-back before whipping early crosses into the box. The issue is the lack of a natural finisher to get on the end of his delicious deliveries.

Toure got the better of Patterson (Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Beyond Toure, Sean Steur has already made a big impression upon the fanbase. The 18-year-old Dutchman is bold in possession and always aims to play forwards. He looks an ideal fit for Jaissle’s style, with Steur able to get Newcastle upfield quickly and accurately.

Lukas Hornicek also impressed in Edinburgh, with the 24-year-old goalkeeper producing a couple of excellent stops to deny Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. His composure in position has also added a fresh element to Newcastle’s build-up play.

The Minnesota Twins took the first step in turning around their fortunes Wednesday afternoon with a comeback victory to secure a series win.

Powered by a 14-hit performance, the Twins rallied from an early three-run deficit to beat the Baltimore Orioles 7-5 and earn their first series win since late July. Josh Bell continued a torrid August with three hits, Alan Roden bounced back from a tough game with three hits of his own, and Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee each finished with two knocks.

The Twins scored 18 runs and finished with 35 hits in three games against Baltimore, and an offense that has mostly languished since the All-Star break is showing signs it could be returning to form.

“It was only a matter of time,” Bell said in a postgame TV interview. “We make a lot of contact, and went through a rut there for a couple of weeks, hitting balls right at people. But we knew we would turn things around. Just keep playing our game, keep putting the ball in play, and good things happen.”

Entering Wednesday’s finale, the Twins had produced three runs in 14 of their last 24 games. Overall, the team was hitting .227/.301/.364 in that span and averaging 3.9 runs per game with only 23 home runs.

Part of the drop in production can be attributed to the absence of three-time All-Star Byron Buxton, who could come off the 10-day injured list as soon as Thursday. Since the break, Buxton has been limited to seven games with a right hip impingement. Even when he has played, he has produced only a .382 OPS in 27 plate appearances.

Not having their best hitter surely accounted for some of the Twins’ struggles, but they were also slowed by facing three top-10 pitching staffs in series against the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Guardians and Milwaukee Brewers, and they can’t seem to figure out left-handed pitching.

Collectively, a chunk of players who excelled in June and early July are slumping in August. Catcher Ryan Jeffers has a .611 OPS this month; Trevor Larnach is sitting at .578; Victor Caratini is at .495; Kody Clemens is at .414; and Ryan Kreidler dropped all the way to .361.

On Wednesday, however, the bats woke up, and the Twins knocked Orioles starter Shane Baz out of the game after three innings and five earned runs.

The performance was a 180-degree turnaround from Tuesday, when the Twins went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position in a disappointing 5-2 loss.

“It was the ability to extend innings, some big two-out hits,” Twins manager Derek Shelton told reporters in Minneapolis. “Royce had a big one there to extend the lead. We were just able to keep the line moving the entire day, which yesterday is something we were looking for and weren’t able to do. I’m really proud that in less than 12 hours we came out and did a nice job with our approach.”

Here are three more Twins thoughts after the team’s first series win since July 30.

1. Lewis gave the Twins much-needed breathing room with a two-out RBI double in the fifth inning that extended the lead to three runs. Lewis has played well since returning from the minors June 6, and his performance has reached another level in August.

Through 11 games this month, Lewis is hitting .413/.438/.674 with six doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs in 46 at-bats.

Bell is equally hot, batting .375/.444/.625 with three home runs and nine RBIs.

Luke Keaschall has a .905 OPS in 39 August plate appearances, and Roden’s, in a more limited sample, is .900.

In the past, Lewis has proved capable of carrying the Twins offense for a month at a time. He homered nine times and drove in 15 runs with a .972 OPS in June 2024.

Now more than ever, the Twins need Lewis to provide that kind of production again.

2. Buxton worked out on the field Monday and Wednesday, which suggests he’s nearing a return. Before Wednesday’s game, Shelton suggested Buxton could return for Thursday’s MLB at Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa.

“(Thursday) is a possibility,” Shelton told reporters in Minneapolis. “I don’t want to say (Thursday) is the day. … As we continue to add volume — and Monday was the big day of adding a ton of volume — we’ll see how he is.”

Shelton described Buxton as jubilant during Monday’s workout. The manager also told reporters he’s encouraged that Joe Ryan, who’s on the 15-day injured list with a mild left glute strain, played catch before Monday’s game.

3. Dean Kremer has been outstanding in his first two games with Minnesota, limiting the opposition to two earned runs in 12 innings. Whether he can maintain that level remains to be seen. But the Twins liked what they saw from him during his time with Baltimore and had ideas about slight adjustments.

Pitching with fresh ideas can work in a pitcher’s favor. Yennier Cano couldn’t throw strikes with the Twins, but once he arrived in Baltimore, he made an arm slot adjustment and has since taken off. Ryan Pressly and Louis Varland made pitch-mix adjustments and improved their careers.

As was the case with Cano and Pressly, sometimes hearing the same message from a new voice can convince pitchers to make necessary changes.

“When we get a new pitcher, I try not to put a ton of stock into what they’ve done,” Jeffers told reporters in Minneapolis. “I want to see how their pitches move, see how hitters react to their pitches. Before we put a stamp on, like, ‘Hey, this is the guy they are.’ Because every org kind of treats everyone different.

“I saw people talking about how (José) Soriano went to the (Toronto) Blue Jays and he’s throwing a completely different mix,” Jeffers said. “That’s kind of how it works. Some orgs, you get stuck in a lane. Dean’s been a really good pitcher. He’s had really good moments. It hasn’t gone his way this year. And you look at what he did (Monday), I think that’s what we believed that he was, and he can keep being that person.”