One way of describing the past couple of days at Newcastle United would be ‘eventful’. Every time a club changes managers, it has to be seen as the beginning of a new era. That rings even truer when it is someone like Eddie Howe.
Howe has been on the receiving end of quite a bit of criticism in recent times. You can expect that with the team finishing 12th. But let us also not overlook what he has achieved as Newcastle United manager.
Howe was the one who ended the club’s 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy. He also guided them into the Champions League on two occasions. History might be kinder to the Englishman’s achievements, who will very likely go down as Newcastle United’s best manager of the modern era.
Now, it is time to look towards the future though. And there is an important update on that, with an announcement set to be made tomorrow.
Sky Sports man hints at Newcastle United announcement
According to Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie, Newcastle United are set to announce Matthias Jaissle as Eddie Howe’s successor tomorrow. The Magpies have agreed to pay £9.5 million in compensation to Al-Ahli for the German head coach.
Downie further confirms that Jaissle will sign a four-year contract with Newcastle United. The plan is for the German coach to meet up with his new players in Spain tomorrow on their training camp in La Manga.
It is believed that Al-Ahli were keen to hold on to Jaissle. But Newcastle United pushed hard and have now managed to get their man.
Of course, Jaissle has enjoyed a ton of success so far in his managerial career. He won a couple of league titles and a domestic cup in Austria with RB Salzburg. But in many ways, that is the benchmark there. So, many would not read too much into it.
It is at Al-Ahli that true successes have come. He has won back-to-back AFC Champions League Elite titles there, which is the most prestigious tournament in Asian football.
And let us not forget that Al-Ahli were not even expected to be in the mix. They were playing second division football just four years back.
Matthias Jaissle could prove to be a success at St James’ Park
So, Jaissle has proven that he can deliver even when the odds are stacked against him and exceed expectations. That is what he will need to do at Newcastle United as well.
The Magpies have seen some of their most important players leave lately and have a squad full of youngsters. On top of that, they could be about to lose more experience over the coming weeks.
Bruno Guimaraes looks to be headed to Arsenal. Joelinton and Nick Pope are expected to leave at some point as well. And there is also speculation about the future of Lewis Hall, who is drawing interest from both Manchester United and Chelsea at the moment.
On the other hand, Newcastle United have only signed youngsters this summer. Was that because they had an indication that Howe could leave and did not want to make any major investment under him? Or is that simply the new strategy?
It is more likely the latter. Four signings have been made so far. The oldest of them is 20 years of age. And it does look like the fifth one is close, with Lukas Hornicek most likely to be the new number one between the posts for Newcastle United from next season.
