Matthias Jaissle admits that his Newcastle United squad for the 2026/27 season remains incomplete – and he won't stop fighting until the final hours of the transfer window to ensure he is fully equipped for the challenge ahead.
Before the 3-2 win over West Bromwich Albion on Carabao Cup night, the stadium was lifted by the unveiling of Nico Gonzalez who will take the No 6 shirt and fill one of the two holding midfielder slots. But Jaissle is understood to want left-back cover plus another forward, with Nick Woltemade struggling for confidence and form plus William Osula facing a visit to a specialist after suffering an injury in training.
When asked if he needed to fill positions still, Jaissle was guarded but – by the same token – straight to the point when answering: "Yes." Then, when pressed on which areas, he stated: "This is something I will not tell."
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But significantly, he made it clear that sporting director Ross Wilson can expect another knock on the door in the coming days, reflecting: "But I push every day."
Chronicle Live reported that Osula would be missing for a number of weeks on Monday, paving the way for a potential forward arrival. When asked about Osula's issues with the Danish striker missing the win over the Baggies, Jaissle said: "Most likely (out for weeks). Without being too specific, there will be more tests done with specialists, and we will update you."
Jaissle will take confidence from Newcastle securing Spaniard Gonzalez after the £50m deal for the midfielder went through rapidly last night. Fans have already deemed the signing of Nico as the marquee arrival of the summer and at 24 he will bring instant experience to the table with a debut against Tottenham on Saturday night on the cards.
He said: "We're really happy to have him finally here. It was a long fight. We continue our brave way with young lads, with talented players and Nico is young but also experienced so it's a perfect fit. He brings a lot of quality into the squad. We can't wait to see him on the pitch."
Jaissle then hinted that more good news could be on the way and after being asked if the Gonzalez deal is a sign of things to come before the end of trading, he said: "I'm always a believer in the positive things so I didn't doubt.. We want to continue our brave way so not bringing in guys who have almost retired.
"We're bringing a young lad in with Nico but an experienced one. He's played many games and brings a lot of quality in possession but also physically he can bring impact out of possession. I think it's a great addition."
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