Newcastle United have confirmed the appointment of Matthias Jaissle as the club’s new head coach following Eddie Howe’s departure.The Athletic reported on July 30 that Eddie Howe was set to leave his position as Newcastle boss after nearly five years at the club, with Al Ahli head coach Jaissle poised to replace him.“When Newcastle United comes your way, you take notice,” Jaissle said in a club statement announcing his arrival.“The ambition of the club, the vision for the future and the opportunity ahead made this an incredibly compelling place to be. I have followed the club’s journey closely in recent years and the progress that has been made is clear for everyone to see.“I am incredibly excited about the future. I fully and unreservedly believe in this project, the ambition and the direction the club is taking. There is a clear vision, strong leadership and an exceptional platform to build on.“My teams are built on togetherness, hard work, intensity and a passion to improve every single day. I will bring full commitment, full energy and a determination to give everything I have to help this club achieve its ambitions.“I believe there is enormous potential within this squad and throughout the football club. I am excited to work with the players, staff and leadership team to help take the club forward.”Newcastle CEO David Hopkinson said: “We have conducted a thorough process, and he has emerged as the clear candidate for the role. He possesses all the qualities we were looking for.”Howe had informed the Newcastle hierarchy of his desire to step away shortly after pre-season began but offered to remain in his role while the club sought to find a new head coach.The Englishman led Newcastle to their first trophy in 70 years, winning the Carabao Cup in 2025 and also oversaw qualification for the Champions League twice.Howe’s exit was confirmed later on Friday, saying the decision to leave was “incredibly difficult”.Who is Matthias Jaissle?The below is an extract from an interview with Jaissle in JanuaryJaissle never intended to coach. He was a centre-back as a player and, by 18, having been signed from Stuttgart by their then manager Ralf Rangnick, was playing for Hoffenheim, becoming part of their journey up the leagues, and to Bundesliga promotion in 2008.He was a Germany Under-21 international, too, until injury intervened. Jaissle suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in a 2009 game against Hannover and was never the same. He retired at 26 but, thanks to Rangnick, by then RB Leipzig’s head of sport, was invited onto a trainee programme within the club’s youth department.Jaissle worked as an assistant to current Stuttgart head coach Sebastian Hoeness, who was in charge of Leipzig’s under-16 side. In 2017, he became Alexander Zorniger’s assistant at Brondby, the Danish Super Liga club. And, by 2019, he had returned to the Red Bull network to become head coach of Salzburg’s under-18s.Two years later came a series of fortunate breaks. First, he replaced Bo Svensson as coach of FC Liefering, Salzburg’s feeder club, when the Dane took over at Mainz. Then, when Jesse Marsch left Salzburg for their sister club in Leipzig, Jaissle was in position to succeed him.He became head coach of the serial Austrian champions at just 33.Jaissle wants his players to have agency on the ball, but for that expression to exist within a framework and to be supported by intense defensive work.“I want stress on the opponent as soon as possible,” he says. “And when we win the ball, I want to go as quickly as possible towards the opponent’s goal. I’m very vertical in that approach.”The Rangnick influence is clear. But as naturally as that comes to the players within the Red Bull system, in the world outside it is not the same.