Who is Matthias Jaissle? Newcastle set to appoint shock Eddie Howe replacement

The Englishman was in charge for five years and led the club to their first piece of major silverware since 1955 by winning the Carabao Cup.However, Howe has decided to leave and the news came the morning after he was in the dugout for Newcastle's 4-1 friendly defeat by Bristol City on Wednesday night.After that match, Howe indicated that he had lost control of the club's transfer business.Newcastle will now quickly look to appoint a new manager and The Athletic report that Jaissle has been lined up for the job.Who is Matthias Jaissle?Jaissle has coached Al-Ahli since 2023. The Saudi club are, like Newcastle, owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).Read MoreThe 38-year-old spent his entire playing career as a defender at Hoffenheim before he retired in 2014.After spells as an assistant first with RB Leipzig's Under-16s and then at Danish club Brondby, Jaissle moved to Austria with Red Bull Salzburg to lead the club's U18s side.The German impressed in that role and two years later he got his first managerial job with Austrian club FC Liefering, RB Salzburg's feeder club.He then replaced Jesse Marsch as RB Salzburg boss in the summer of 2021, winning the double and leading the club to the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time.Jaissle won the title again the following season, before moving to Saudi Arabia in 2023 to lead Al-Ahli.Tactician: Matthias Jaissle played under Ralf Rangnick and likes a similar brand of high-intensity footballPAHe has led them to consecutive Asian Champions League titles, coaching the likes of Ivan Toney and Edouard Mendy.“I was going to lead them in the same way. Treat them with respect and ask for their commitment and hold everyone to the same standard."I wanted the challenge. I wanted to coach abroad, in a different culture, and to work in English, which is not my native language."While managing in Saudi Arabia, Jaissle admitted he initially worried about whether there would be a path back to a European club.However, he cited Nuno Espirito Santo as an example that gave him encouragement, after Nuno went from Al-Ittihad to Nottingham Forest and then West Ham.Jaissle played under ex-Manchester United coach Ralf Rangnick at Hoffenheim and that influence on him is clear, with his sides playing in a similarly high-intensity manner.He explained: "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 opponent’s goal. I’m very vertical in that approach.”