Matthias Jaissle has released a personal statement a week ahead of the Premier League season kicking off, offering Newcastle United supporters their clearest insight yet into the mindset of their new head coach.
The German has only been in the job for a couple of weeks. In that short time he has already taken charge of two friendlies, overseen intense double sessions in the Spanish heat, and begun the delicate process of introducing his ideas to a squad still adjusting to significant change. His latest message, delivered via official club media, strikes a careful balance between gratitude, ambition and respect for the man he has replaced.
Jaissle began by acknowledging the reception he has received since arriving on Tyneside.
“I’d like to start with a thank you for the incredible welcome I have received since I arrived at the club last week. In a short period of time I have already felt such warmth from everybody associated with the club, whether that is supporters in the streets or staff and players inside the club.”
That warmth is no small thing. Leaving Al-Ahli, where he had just delivered back-to-back AFC Champions League titles, was a significant personal and professional step. The Saudi Pro League side had given him a platform and major silverware. Walking away from that success to take on the challenge of the Premier League required belief both in himself and in the project at St James’ Park. His words make clear that the early response from the city has already reinforced that decision.
He continued with a more expansive reflection on what it means to manage Newcastle United.
“It is truly an honour to be here as Newcastle United head coach and I’m so excited, focused and motivated by the challenge ahead. Everybody in football knows that Newcastle United is a huge football club, but it isn’t until you’re here living and breathing it every single day that you start to realise how big it really is and how much it means to people in this city. That is something we have to embrace and try to use to our advantage on the pitch every week.”
This passage is particularly revealing. Jaissle is not simply offering the usual polite comments expected of a new manager. He is describing the moment the abstract idea of Newcastle becomes a daily reality — the size of the club, the intensity of the support, and the emotional weight that comes with the badge. For a coach whose previous experience came largely outside the English game, that realisation appears to have landed with force.
On the pitch the results so far have been mixed, as is typical of pre-season. Newcastle defeated Valencia 2-1 under Jaissle’s guidance before suffering a 3-1 defeat to Everton. Both matches offered early glimpses of the intensity he demands, even if the performances were far from polished. With only a couple of weeks of work on the training ground completed, perfection was never realistic. The priority has been physical conditioning, tactical familiarity and the absorption of new information under demanding conditions.
Looking ahead to the weekend, the new head coach expressed genuine anticipation about his first experience of leading the team at St James’ Park.
“I have already had a sample of our great support in both Valencia and Edinburgh, and now I’m really looking forward to leading the team at St. James’ Park this weekend for the first time. I’d like to welcome the staff and players of both Bayer Leverkusen and RC Strasbourg… This weekend gives us another opportunity to take a close look at the players, increase their sharpness and work on our system. That is always the purpose of pre-season, but with limited time to work it feels vital that we maximise everything we are doing. Both teams we face are quality opposition and each will provide a different test. These games will not be easy – we have to be all in if we want to be ready for the new season.”
The scheduling makes the weekend particularly awkward. The final two friendlies are due to be played on consecutive days. That forces an immediate decision for Jaissle and his staff: whether to field something close to a first-choice eleven in one of the matches and rest key players in the other, or to split the minutes more evenly across both fixtures. There is no perfect solution. Consecutive games against strong European opposition leave little room for recovery, yet the need to evaluate as many players as possible remains pressing with the Premier League opener against Liverpool only days away.
Jaissle has been careful not to reveal his thinking on selection, but his comments on the squad’s response to the early workload suggest confidence in their willingness to push through the discomfort.
“I have been really impressed by the commitment of the players so far. From the moment I arrived in La Manga I have asked a lot of them and they have responded brilliantly. We have had some really high intensity double sessions, especially in the heat in Spain, with a lot of new information to digest quickly. Credit also to my backroom staff who have joined me: Alexander Hauser, Engin Yanova, Florens Koch, Maximilian Fischer, Steffen Konrad and Alexander Bade. Alongside the staff who were already here, their work has been outstanding during these first few weeks.”
The naming of his backroom team is significant. These are the coaches who have followed him into the Premier League and who will be responsible for translating his ideas onto the training pitch every day. High-intensity double sessions in Spanish heat are never easy, particularly when players are still learning a new system and adjusting to the demands of a different coach. The fact that Jaissle feels able to praise both the players and the staff so early suggests the group is buying into the process.
Perhaps the most striking part of the statement came at the end, when the new head coach turned his attention to the man he replaced.
“Finally, I must recognise the work of Eddie Howe before me for everything he achieved here. I wish Eddie and his staff nothing but success in the future and thank them for the work they put in before I arrived to leave the team in such a healthy position. Everybody speaks so highly of Eddie and I hope to build a similar connection with our supporters over time.”
There is no attempt here to distance himself from Howe’s legacy. Instead, Jaissle openly acknowledges the foundation he has inherited and the connection the previous manager built with the supporters. In the modern game it is relatively rare for a new coach to speak so warmly about his predecessor in public. The words carry weight because they feel deliberate rather than obligatory.
For Newcastle fans, that tone will be welcome. Howe left the club after nearly five years that included a first major trophy in seven decades and multiple Champions League qualifications. The emotional attachment many supporters still feel towards him remains strong. By recognising that work and expressing a desire to build a similar bond, Jaissle has set an early tone of respect rather than rupture.
The coming days will test how quickly that respect can be turned into on-pitch progress. Consecutive friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and Strasbourg offer the last meaningful opportunities to refine systems and assess fitness levels before the competitive season begins. After that, the real examination starts at Anfield.
Jaissle’s first public statement as Newcastle head coach is measured, grateful and ambitious in equal measure. It contains no wild promises and no attempt to rewrite the recent past. Instead it focuses on the practical realities of limited preparation time, the intensity already demanded of the squad, and a clear desire to honour the standards set by the previous regime while beginning the process of making the team his own.
Whether he can eventually build the same connection with the supporters that Howe enjoyed remains to be seen. For now, the German has made it plain that he understands both the size of the task and the privilege of the position. In the eyes of many on Tyneside, that is a solid place to start.