Newcastle's move for Matthias Jaissle is being driven by more than the need to replace H. Howe. The 38-year-old coach has built a strong record at Red Bull Salzburg and Al Ahly, and that is the main reason his name is being taken seriously for St James' Park. The harder question is whether those numbers still hold up in a far less controlled job.

Jaissle's record at Liefering, Salzburg and Al Ahly

At FC Liefering in 2021, Jaissle won 11 of 17 games, a 64.71% win rate that pushed him into wider view. He then won 64 games at Salzburg, where his win rate rose to 68.82%. At Al Ahly, he has won 90 of 138 matches, a 65.22% rate that gives the case a longer and less delicate sample.

That record is why Christoph Freund called him “young, ambitious” and said his work with young players is “exceptional”. Jaissle himself has also spoken about how his coaching path began earlier than he expected, saying, “Ralf already saw a coach in me, even when I didn't think about it at all.”

Newcastle's job is a different problem

Newcastle's situation is the awkward part of this story. They are 17th in the Premier League in the 2026 season, with 0 points, 0 goals scored and 0 goals against in the table snapshot. Their last 10 league and European matches include losses to Fulham, Arsenal, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Barcelona, plus a 3-1 win over West Ham.

Howe's exit has been linked to a bruising run, with Mirror saying it followed a defeat at Bristol City, although that scoreline is not verified in the supplied data and should be treated carefully. Either way, Newcastle are not hiring into stability. They are looking for a coach who has won a lot, but has not yet been asked to rescue a Premier League giant under this kind of pressure.

Jaissle's numbers are good enough to explain the interest. Whether they translate at Newcastle is the real test, and the club's next move will tell us how far they are willing to trust a coach still only 38.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →