Matthias Jaissle’s appeal to Newcastle is not that he would simply copy Eddie Howe. It is that his Al Ahli sides have kept a clear press while moving between shapes, and Newcastle’s 2025/26 season, 12th place and 1.26 points per game, makes that adaptability look useful rather than decorative.
Jaissle's shape changes
In 2025/26, Jaissle used a primary 4-2-3-1 in more than 40% of games, a 4-3-3 in 22%, and a low-block 4-4-2 in roughly one game out of every five. That is not a manager switching identities every week. It is a coach with a base idea who can change the structure around it when the match asks for something different.
The press stayed intact. Al Ahli’s PPDA was 9.02, which points to a high-intensity press rather than passive control. Jaissle has even described his own thinking as a mix of influences, telling teamtalk.com: "I have always tried to be authentic as a coach and find my own way. Of course, I have influences. Ralf Rangnick played a big part in developing my ideas because I played under him for most of my playing career. And in my youth, I had Thomas Tuchel, so I have followed his principles and career. Then there's Jurgen Klopp – I often looked at the transitions he put in place with Liverpool. In possession, I like how Pep Guardiola finds structure and balance. And there's a lot to take from Roberto De Zerbi's build-up as well."
That profile is why his name has moved into the Newcastle conversation, with Fabrizio Romano saying: "Jaissle has emerged as Newcastle’s leading candidate, with negotiations progressing well between the two parties."
Why the fit is being discussed
The simplest way to read the fit is through Newcastle’s own decline. They finished 12th in the Premier League in 2025/26 with 1.26 points per game, the lowest of Howe’s four full seasons. A team that flat has room for adjustment, and Jaissle’s case is built on more than one formation label.
Al Ahli’s attack and chance creation were strong enough to suggest the method travels. They scored 71 goals in 34 league matches, conceded just 25 and kept 17 clean sheets. Their expected goals total was 66.73, close to the actual output, while they averaged 7.18 through passes per game and 19.83 touches inside the opposition box per game, both above the Saudi Pro League average.
That is the part Newcastle should care about. Jaissle is not being sold as a safer version of Howe. He is being sold as a coach who can keep the press, widen the tactical range and improve the quality of the attacks at the same time. For a club that went from higher expectations to 12th, that is a more convincing case than repeating the old structure with a different face.
The only caution is obvious enough: Jaissle has not managed in the Premier League yet, and Newcastle’s move is still described as advanced talks rather than an official appointment. The fit looks logical, but the paperwork is not done.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
