Matthias Jaissle is the leading candidate to replace Eddie Howe as Newcastle manager, with the new Premier League season now only three weeks away.

Howe is stepping down as Magpies head coach after five years in charge, with the 48-year-old Englishman keen to take a break from football. Newcastle were beaten 4-1 by Bristol City in a pre-season match on Wednesday.

Howe departs having earned significant credit, after leading Newcastle to their first major trophy in 70 years by winning the 2025 Carabao Cup. He also took the north-east club to the Champions League last-16 last season.

However, as first reported by The Athletic, Howe appears set to be succeeded by the relatively little-known German coach Jaissle, who would need to make an immediate impact with only 24 days remaining before Newcastle’s Premier League opener against Liverpool at St James’ Park.

Here is everything you need to know about Matthias Jaissle.

The 38-year-old German is a two-time Asian Champions League winner with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, which is majority-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the same organisation that owns Newcastle.

Jaissle has been in charge of Al-Ahli, whose squad includes players such as Ivan Toney and Edouard Mendy, since 2023. He also won the Saudi Super Cup in 2025.

Before that, he spent two seasons coaching Red Bull Salzburg, winning back-to-back Austrian Bundesliga titles as well as the Austrian Cup after taking over from former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch. He also guided Salzburg into the Champions League knockout stage.

Jaissle landed the Salzburg job only four months after taking Liefering to second place in Austria’s second division. Before that, he had been manager of Red Bull Salzburg’s Under-18 academy side.

Jaissle, 38, has been coaching Al-Ahli since 2023.

His playing career was modest. He spent seven years as a centre-back with Hoffenheim, but made only 68 league appearances after suffering an ACL injury in 2009 that forced him to retire at the age of 26. He also won one cap for Germany Under-21s.

The German began his career in the youth setup at VfB Stuttgart, where he was coached by Thomas Tuchel, with whom he remains close friends. Many believe that relationship played an important role in Toney being called up to England’s World Cup squad.

His coaching philosophy is based on high-intensity, attacking football and, having come through the Red Bull system, he regards former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick as a major influence.

“I want to put the opponent under stress as soon as possible,” he said in an interview in January. “And when we win the ball, I want to move towards the opponent’s goal as quickly as possible.

“I’m very vertical in that approach.”

The obvious connection is that PIF own both Newcastle and Al-Ahli.

Still, Jaissle has developed a strong reputation as one of the best young coaches in world football, having collected trophies and delivered success everywhere he has worked. His spell at RB Salzburg was especially impressive, before he moved to Saudi Arabia and became the first coach ever to win back-to-back Asian Champions League titles.

Even so, his appointment would mark a major departure from Newcastle’s previous three coaches, all of whom have been English: Howe, Graeme Jones in an interim role, and Steve Bruce.

Indeed, it would be the first time in Newcastle’s history that the club have appointed a German manager, and only their third coach from outside Britain and Ireland.

Newcastle’s next outing is a friendly against Valencia on Saturday 8 August, before their final pre-season matches against Everton, Bayer Leverkusen and Strasbourg.

Jaissle had earlier led Red Bull Salzburg to successive Austrian Bundesliga titles.