Newcastle United have held talks about bringing in another forward in the January transfer window as the club explore ways to support Matthias Jaissle after a bruising few weeks on Tyneside.
The conversations have taken place quietly behind the scenes,
with senior figures at the club assessing how best to give their new manager the tools he needs to steady the ship and push the team forward.
While nothing has been finalised, the willingness to discuss attacking reinforcements so early in the season underlines just how seriously the hierarchy is taking the current challenges.
While a weekend draw at Fulham was far from perfect,
it did afford the Magpies – and a manager who has received a crash course in the scrutiny that comes with being a Premier League boss – much-needed breathing space after a damaging run of three defeats from four games.
The point at Craven Cottage may not have set pulses racing among the travelling support, but it stopped the rot at a crucial moment and gave everyone connected with the club a chance to reset.
In the modern Premier League, even a hard-fought draw can feel like a victory when confidence is fragile.
With Arsenal, Brighton, Manchester United and Sunderland as their next run of fixtures, it feels like crunch time is approaching, but Newcastle go into the international break in much better spirits.
That sequence of matches will test every part of the squad and every idea Jaissle has tried to implement since taking charge. Supporters know the coming weeks could define the early narrative of the campaign, which is why the club’s internal discussions about the January window have taken on added urgency.
Having held a series of “positive” meetings with the club’s senior players after the chaotic Everton defeat,
Jaissle had told the hierarchy he was confident that there would be a reaction at Craven Cottage.
And the display in west London convinced him that they are moving in the right direction, even if the Newcastle manager admits privately they remain a long way from reaching their potential.
Those private conversations with the dressing room leaders appear to have helped restore a sense of calm and purpose that had been missing during the recent poor run.
Two things are now key to what comes next for Newcastle: finessing a “vertical football” strategy that insiders admit Jaissle has not managed to properly explain yet, and tweaking the squad in the next transfer window to better align with the manager’s approach. The German’s preferred style demands intensity, quick decision-making and a willingness to progress the ball rapidly once possession is won.
Getting every player on the same page has proved more difficult than expected, but the early signs of progress after the Fulham game have encouraged those inside the training ground.
Central to his “vertical” system is the belief that when you win the ball you should look to quickly play it forward to exploit the opposition’s lack of defensive organisation. But that does not mean players are expected to always do it – and recent training sessions have sought to help the players better understand when retaining possession makes more sense.
The balance between directness and control is delicate, and Jaissle has spent considerable time on the training pitches trying to embed the right habits. Some of the nuance of the system has been “lost in translation” according to the manager himself, which explains the adjustments made for the trip to London.
Saturday’s changes – with Sean Steur back in the side – were designed partly to correct the problems that emerged during the Everton loss. The Dutch midfielder’s return brought greater structure and a clearer link between defence and attack. Those who watched the game closely noted an improved ability to transition quickly without completely abandoning defensive shape. It was far from a finished product, but it was enough to convince Jaissle that the squa
d is capable of absorbing his ideas if given time and the right personnel.
On the recruitment front, there seems to be a willingness to explore solutions, with Newcastle having retained some wiggle room to sign players in January if they need to. As part of the club’s player trading strategy any incomings may require outgoings, although they are in decent financial shape and given their compliance with financial fair play rules, sales could be put off until the summer.
That financial flexibility is one of the quieter strengths of the current regime and gives the decision-makers options that were not always available in previous windows.
The internal view has always been that the priority in the transfer window is to address the centre-back position, with Newcastle looking to replace one of two veteran defenders in Fabian Schar and Dan Burn in the coming seasons.
Both players have given outstanding service and remain important figures in the dressing room, yet the club recognises that planning for the medium term cannot be delayed indefinitely. Adding fresh competition and long-term solutions at the back remains a strategic goal.
Not unreasonably, Jaissle feels that they are light on goals, which could prompt a pivot in their priorities with a striker or a number ten potentially on the radar if the right player becomes available.
The lack of a consistent goal threat has been evident in recent matches, and the manager has even been forced into emergency measures such as deploying Dan Burn further forward in desperate moments.
That kind of improvisation only highlights the need for greater depth and quality in the final third.
Newcastle opted to stick rather than twist when it came to signing a specialist striker in the summer – partly because there was no interest in Yoane Wissa, who they would have considered selling to refresh their striker department.
I They also repelled “significant” interest in Will Osula, who has scored once in seven appearances this season.
The decision to keep faith with the existing group was understandable at the time, yet the early-season evidence suggests the attacking options may need reinforcing sooner than planned.
The loan exit of Nick Woltemade, whose long-term future remains uncertain, gave them the financial “wiggle room” to sign Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who can play as a number nine.
But he didn’t look ready or equipped to play that role in his first four Premier League starts and might be better suited to playing in a wide role.
The young forward has shown flashes of quality, yet adapting to the physical and tactical demands of the Premier League has taken time. That reality has only strengthened the case for looking at more experienced options when the window reopens.
A Newcastle source told The i Paper it was currently a “really barren market for strikers” across Europe, which had played into their approach during the summer.
It also influenced their move to sign Guinea-Bissau forward Afner Ca for the under-21s, with Newcastle keen to have more “forwards in the pipeline in the future”.
Building for the long term remains important, but the short-term need for goals is becoming harder to ignore. Jaissle’s side have struggled to convert territorial dominance into clear-cut chances on too many occasions, and that has to change if they are to climb the table.
Newcastle have been linked with a move for 30-year-old Ivan Toney, who worked with Jaissle at Al-Ahli, but given his wages and age, that won’t be happening – even if his experience and profile might help a youthful Magpies side. Instead, the club’s scouting department has been quietly monitoring a different profile of forward.
In recent months, attention has turned towards a prolific £20m-rated centre-forward currently playing in the Croatian league. The player in question has been watched multiple times and scored against Sunderland in the Europa League only last week, catching the eye of those tasked with identifying potential January targets.
That particular forward represents the kind of opportunistic signing Newcastle believe could make an immediate difference without requiring a huge outlay that would disrupt their longer-term financial planning. At around the £20m mark, he sits in a price bracket the club can realistically work with, especially if they are prepared to move one or two fringe players on. Whether a deal can be structured remains to be seen, but the fact that he is being seriously discussed at board level shows how the priority list has begun to shift.
January is therefore the first real chance for Jaissle to bring in players who could help solve some of the problems that he has encountered in his first 10 games. If Newcastle back him with funds it would be a further sign that they are “all in” on the German, which is the message that has been emanating from St James’ Park since the last international break.
The Magpies have absorbed criticism for their recruitment but Jaissle is understood to be enthusiastic about the players they have signed. £34m signing Aladji Bamba has been singled out for his lack of impact but is understood to have trained well in recent weeks and is viewed as a signing “for the next year or two years”.
That longer-term perspective is one of the central tensions around the “Newcastle 2.0” project – balancing a club now looking to the future with the short-term issue of staying competitive in the present. Supporters understandably want results now, while the ownership and sporting directors are trying to build something sustainable. Finding the right mix of patience and urgency is never easy, especially when results fluctuate and external noise grows louder.
Perhaps the answer is to loosen the purse strings and hand Jaissle some ready-made fixes if they want to permanently quieten some of the noise around Newcastle. A well-chosen addition in January, particularly one who can add goals and presence in the final third, could change the mood around the club almost overnight.
The £20m-rated forward currently under consideration may not be a household name in England yet, but those who have watched him believe he has the tools to adapt quickly to the Premier League.
For now, the focus remains on the international break and the chance for players to recover and reset. When they return, the real work begins again. Arsenal, Brighton, Manchester United and the derby against Sunderland will not wait for perfect tactical understanding or ideal squad balance.
Jaissle knows it, the players know it, and the hierarchy knows it. That is why the quiet conversations about January have already started – and why a certain £20m striker has found his way onto the radar at St James’ Park.
Whether that interest develops into a formal bid will depend on many factors: the player’s own ambitions, the selling club’s valuation, Newcastle’s ability to create space in the squad, and Jaissle’s continued ability to show progress on the pitch. What is already clear is that the club is not prepared to stand still.
After a difficult few weeks, the intention is to emerge stronger, clearer in identity, and better equipped for the challenges ahead. January may yet prove to be the moment when Newcastle take the next decisive step in Jaissle’s project.