Newcastle boss Jaissle demands more signings after summer exodus

Newcastle United have endured a turbulent summer both on and off the pitch, and new head coach Matthias Jaissle has admitted his squad still requires "adjustments" before the transfer window slams shut.

The Magpies finished a disappointing 12th in the Premier League in the 2025-26 campaign, and the off-season has brought sweeping change at St. James' Park. After five years in charge, Eddie Howe departed the club, paving the way for Jaissle's appointment. But the German inherits a side stripped of several marquee names.

Sandro Tonali has joined Tottenham in a £100m deal, Bruno Guimaraes has moved to Arsenal, and Anthony Gordon swapped Tyneside for Catalonia by linking up with Barcelona. In total, the exodus has left a significant void for Jaissle to fill.

Jaissle calls for patience and more business

Newcastle have moved to plug the gaps, with Ewen Jaouen, Bazoumana Toure, Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba, Lukas Hornicek and Amar Dedic all arriving on Tyneside. Yet Jaissle was clear that the work is far from finished.

"I would love to answer that with a clear number, but it depends on if players are leaving as well," Jaissle told Sky Sports when asked how many more signings he would like. "For sure, there will be adjustments made, the needs are clear. The management knows about the needs and we are all aligned.

"We will use the remaining time [in the transfer window] in the best possible way, but we also trust the players who are already here."

Of Newcastle's seven summer signings, four are under the age of 21, with Steur — signed from Ajax — only 18. Jaissle has urged calm over the youngsters' development, drawing on his experience nurturing talent at Salzburg and working with established stars in Saudi Arabia.

"You know that usually you need to have the adaptation time, therefore I said that you need to be patient with them and give them the time. It's always a process," he said. "We should not give them too much pressure in the beginning. It's a goal of the club to work with young talent, to develop them and that is nice to see because that's a clear identity of the club.

"That's also the reason why I'm here, because I'm used to working with young talents in my time in Salzburg and I also used to work with stars in Saudi Arabia, so it's a great fit, and you can build on something."

Opening-day test against Liverpool

Newcastle begin their Premier League campaign at home to Liverpool this Sunday — a side they are winless against in their last 19 top-flight meetings (D5 L14). Encouragingly for the Magpies, they have not lost their opening league fixture in any of the last four seasons (W3 D1) since a 4-2 defeat to West Ham in 2021-22.

Jaissle conceded the timing of the rebuild has been far from ideal but insisted his team are ready to battle the Reds in front of a raucous St. James' Park crowd.

"You are aware, like I am, that we need to fix things in a short amount of time," Jaissle said. "The timing was not ideal, but in football you cannot always have the perfect timing, so we need to do the best out of it.

"In a short amount of time, we need to be efficient, we need to implement the philosophy as much as possible, how the lads should enter the pitch and deliver the messages. They are doing an amazing job so far. They are really committed, they learn fast, but it will be a process.

"We are for sure not 100 per cent against Liverpool, but with the fans in the back, with the support from the stands, we can do special things here at St James' Park. I could feel that already in the friendly matches."