Genuine excitement at a fresh start under new head coach Matthias Jaissle, or real concern with the lack of experience within the Newcastle United XI?There appears to be a split among the fanbase regarding how everyone is feeling ahead of the new season, with some at the extreme ends of the spectrum, and others balancing their optimism and fear in equal measure.That was evident during The Athletic’s “Inside Newcastle” live Q&A with Chris Waugh on Thursday. We have pulled together some of the best bits below, with some of the questions and answers edited for brevity.Are the club working on multiple deals, especially for experienced players? We look lost. — Paul HWaugh: Newcastle are pursuing multiple deals, and the expectation is that between two and four more players will be signed before the window closes on September 1.Experience and Premier League know-how are definitely on the agenda. These were not necessarily a priority while Eddie Howe was still in charge, or at the very least before Bruno Guimaraes’ exit became increasingly inevitable, but there is an acknowledgement internally that an exception or two to the summer blueprint of largely acquiring young players is required.Of Newcastle’s five summer signings, four are aged 20 or under, and none has played in the Premier League before.Marseille’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (31 years old; 254 Premier League appearances for Southampton and Tottenham) and Joao Palhinha of Bayern Munich (also 31; 101 Premier League games for Fulham and Tottenham) are among around half-a-dozen midfielders under consideration, though a deal for the former is proving far from straightforward and Newcastle are behind other clubs in the race for the latter.Whether multiple ‘experienced players’ will be acquired is unclear. It may depend upon the identity of the first midfielder Newcastle manage to bring in. Hojbjerg, for example, has eight Premier League seasons under his belt and is regarded as a leader.Jaissle acknowledges there is a leadership “vacuum” that requires filling, either by current players stepping up or new signings arriving — and ideally through a combination of both.Hojbjerg is among the midfielders under consideration by Newcastle (Gabriel Bouys/Getty Images)Can you please clarify our SCR position? My understanding was selling Anthony Gordon made us compliant, selling Sandro Tonali let us significantly reinvest, so selling Guimaraes should really unshackle our spending, but it doesn’t feel that way from the names of our targets! — Philip MWaugh: Without being privy to Newcastle’s exact squad-cost rules (SCR) position, it is difficult to provide a definitive answer.The message is that they do not presently have an issue meeting the Premier League’s regulations, which permit 85 per cent of revenue to be committed to footballing expenditure, but UEFA’s rules are far more restrictive (with a 70 per cent expenditure threshold and a three-year rolling loss limit).The explanation previously offered was that Gordon’s sale ensured Newcastle were compliant for the financial year, covering the drop-off in revenue of around £40million to £60m ($54m-$82m) from missing out on European football in the coming season. The sale of Tonali then gave them room to reinvest across the squad (but was not required for compliance in itself).Guimaraes leaving has increased that headroom further, especially given three high earners have now dropped off the books (as well as Kieran Trippier, who left as a free agent) — albeit the salary budget needed to be lowered significantly, with Newcastle spending at the levels of a Champions League side when they are not in any European competition, as their chief ewecutive David Hopkinson explained during his recent interview with The Athletic.Theoretically, Newcastle have reasonable room for manoeuvre now and should be able to make signings. Yet the proceeds of the Tonali and Guimaraes sales are actually averaged out over a three-year rolling basis, so it is not as if they suddenly have the best part of £150million to spend.