It’s all change at Newcastle United, both on and off the field.

Key players are being sold every few weeks, while Eddie Howe resigned, allowing 38-year-old German Matthias Jaissle (pronounced ‘yice-luh’) to step in as head coach.

Parting ways with Howe felt fair, but the timing isn’t great. Jaissle was only officially announced with a little over two weeks until Gameweek 1.

So, there’ll be curiosity amongst Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers. Will Jaissle’s Newcastle surprisingly improve, or find themselves in a relegation fight?

CAREER SO FAR

Playing for Ralf Rangnick at Hoffenheim, the centre-back suffered an ACL tear in 2009 and then another major setback in 2011.

He eventually retired a few years later, aged 26.

But Rangnick saw coaching potential and let him be the assistant of RB Leipzig’s Under-16 team.

After spending time at Brondby, then at Red Bull Salzburg’s Under-18s, he replaced Bo Svensson as feeder club FC Liefering’s head coach. And, when Jesse Marsch departed in 2021, Jaissle completed his rise by becoming Salzburg’s head coach at the age of just 33.

Both seasons in charge brought Austrian Bundesliga titles, but he particularly impressed by getting them to the 2021/22 Champions League knockout stage.

A surprise relocation to Al-Ahli brought negative comments, but he quickly transformed a newly promoted side into one that won consecutive AFC Champions Leagues.

Still, it’s a ruthless country to manage in. Between those continental jubilations, Jaissle was almost kicked out for Max Allegri in January 2025, until fans protested.

THE TACTICS

“Of course, I have influences. Ralf Rangnick played a big part in developing my ideas because I played under him for most of my playing career. And in my youth, I had Thomas Tuchel, so I have followed his principles and career.

“Then there’s Jurgen Klopp – I often looked at the transitions he put in place with Liverpool. In possession, I like how Pep Guardiola finds structure and balance. And there’s a lot to take from Roberto De Zerbi’s build-up as well.

“It’s a constant learning process.” – Matthias Jaissle, via GiveMeSport

At Salzburg, his system was predictable for a Rangnick disciple: intense pressing to recover the ball quickly and force mistakes in dangerous positions, quick transitions, and some relatively direct play that plays the ball vertically rather than sideways.

Perhaps the high defensive line won’t match well with Newcastle’s centre-backs, but there’ll now be a ‘proper’ defensive midfielder like Aladji Bamba (£5.0m) to protect them. That’s been needed for a while.

“I want stress on the opponent as soon as possible. And when we win the ball, I want to go as quickly as possible towards the opponents’ goal. I’m very vertical in that approach.” – Matthias Jaissle, via The Athletic

Yet, after preferring a 4-4-2 with inverted wingers, Jaissle’s controversial Saudi Arabia move opened him up to some new experiences.

He suddenly needed to manage big-name players like Riyad Mahrez, Ivan Toney, Roberto Firmino and Franck Kessie. Plus, adapting to the heat required a tactical awakening that went beyond the high-energy stuff.

He looked into a 4-2-3-1 that used either a 3-2-5 or 2-3-5 build-up structure. But, crucially, Jaissle wasn’t stubborn about it, often adjusting plans based on the state of the game.

“It is not about formations that much. It is more how you want to play, how you want to attack, how you want to defend. If you understand that and the players understand that, tactically you are much more flexible and the formation is not that important.” – Matthias Jaissle, via Sky Sports

You see, Jaissle now believes in fluidity. All-round players who are capable of multiple tasks, done across different positions. Swiss army knives.

After all, Salzburg repeatedly alternated from facing low-block domestic defences at the weekend to being midweek Champions League underdogs who needed to swiftly counter-attack.

At Al-Ahli, they had 2025/26’s best Saudi defensive record in terms of goals conceded (25) and clean sheets (17). They kept the joint-most shut-outs (15) in 2023/24.

As for his loud, active touchline persona, that will divide opinion.

SHOULD FPL MANAGERS INVEST?

Jaissle is a promising appointment, but Gameweek 1 pits him against Liverpool: a team they’ve not beaten in 19 league meetings.

Despite that, our Fixture Ticker thinks Newcastle have the strongest fixtures up to Gameweek 10.

• READ MORE: Who has the best early 2026/27 fixtures?

It’ll take a while for their defence to be trusted, mind.

After keeping five clean sheets in last season’s first seven matches, only three arrived in the subsequent 31 (see image below). Because of this, they dropped a whopping 27 points from a leading position, often going 1-0 up then losing.

Thankfully, they’ve tried to address their long-time goalkeeping weakness by buying two of them. Starter Lukas Hornicek (£5.0m) passes well and likes rushing out to sweep up – with that behind and Bamba in front, the centre-backs should now be less exposed.

• READ MORE: Hornicek, Jaouen or Pope – Who will be Newcastle’s number 1?

These are part of a summer overhaul. Arguably, it’s too much change. And Jaissle is a risky choice because, even though he’s won trophies, they’ve not been at a particularly testing level. He’s joining a competitive Premier League.

But a lack of European action should, in theory, help a head coach favouring intense play. It’s a style that is similar to Howe’s, so last season’s remaining few won’t need much adaptation.

FPL ASSETS TO CONSIDER

So, with radical change, FPL managers desperately need information from four upcoming friendlies versus Valencia, Everton, Bayer Leverkusen and Strasbourg.

No Newcastle player currently exceeds 4.0% ownership, because it’s uncertain who’ll be in Jaissle’s XI.

Strangely, none of the senior defenders cost below £5.0m. Malick Thiaw, possible new captain, has this initial price. Amongst top-flight defenders, he was last season’s number two for big chances (10, see image below) and third for expected goals (xG, 4.72).

Lewis Hall (£5.0m) crossed 102 times and, with attacking full-backs being crucial to Jaissle, he’ll be encouraged to both overlap and underlap. Like Thiaw, he should be a nailed-on starter.

Midfield is harder to call because at least one more is expected to sign. Harvey Barnes‘ (£6.0m) three Newcastle seasons have brought a low 43 league starts, but 21 goals. If he’s the initial first-choice while Bazoumana Toure (£6.0m) settles in, that’s an FPL asset worth exploring.

• READ MORE: Best £6.0m-£6.5m forwards for FPL 2026/27

Up front, Will Osula (£6.0m) began the Magpies’ final seven matches, netting five times. In this popular price point, he’d be seen as a rival to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Igor Jesus and Dominic Solanke, were it not for Howe’s departure.

Now he has to prove himself under Jaissle, who might prefer Nick Woltemade‘s (£6.0m) ability to drop deep and be fluid. The £65m forward burst onto the scene with four goals in five, but Howe soon lost faith, benching him in 10 of the final 19 games.

If it’s a 4-2-3-1 that’s also 4-4-2, we could see Woltemade play alongside either Osula or Yoane Wissa (£6.0m).

However, again, we don’t yet have any idea about who is favoured in attack. Time to go clue hunting.