Jaissle shares three things he loves about Fernandez-Pardo after Newcastle training
Newcastle‘s deal for Matias Fernandez-Pardo was months in the making, even if supporters had to wait until deadline day to see it completed.
The Magpies secured the Belgium international from Lille for a reported initial fee of around £51m, with further payments potentially taking the package to £55m.
Sporting director Ross Wilson revealed that Fernandez-Pardo had topped Newcastle’s wanted list back in May, making his arrival the reward for a lengthy pursuit.
Getting Lille to agree was another matter.
By late August, L’Equipe was reporting that Newcastle had submitted an offer, but president Olivier Letang remained reluctant to lose the forward without bringing in a replacement.
|
Newcastle’s summer signings — 2026 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Nationality |
Previous Club |
Fee |
|
Nico Gonzalez |
Spain |
Man City |
£52m |
|
Matias Fernandez-Pardo |
Belgium |
LOSC Lille |
£51m |
|
Bazoumana Touré |
Côte d’Ivoire |
Hoffenheim |
£42m |
|
Aladji Bamba |
France |
Monaco |
£34m |
|
Amar Dedic |
Bosnia |
Benfica |
£29.5m |
|
Lukáš Horníček |
Czechia |
Braga |
£25.7m |
|
Ewen Jaouen |
France |
Stade Reims |
£24m |
|
Sean Steur |
Netherlands |
Ajax |
£23m |
Fernandez-Pardo wanted the move despite Lille having Champions League football to offer, and Newcastle eventually made the breakthrough before announcing his arrival on September 1.
He became their eighth first team signing of the summer, with his introduction also clearing the way for Nick Woltemade to join Juventus on loan.
At 21, Fernandez-Pardo gives Matthias Jaissle another young attacker to develop, although he has already built up useful experience in France and Belgium.
He spent part of his childhood in Lille’s academy before moving to Gent, where he reached the senior side, then returned to the French club in 2024.
Last season brought eight goals and seven assists in 41 appearances across all competitions as Lille secured a return to the Champions League.
His ability to play through the middle or out wide should give Newcastle more ways to threaten opponents, particularly when there is space to attack behind a defence.
Fernandez-Pardo also explained that a conversation with Jaissle helped sell him on Newcastle, with the manager making clear how much he wanted him.
Jaissle shares three things he loves about Fernandez-Pardo after Newcastle training
Jaissle has now explained why he was so eager to get the deal done.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s home meeting with Bournemouth, the Newcastle boss revealed the three things he loves most about the forward, with Fernandez-Pardo now training with the Magpies and fit to make his debut this weekend.
“We worked hard on the deal, finalised it in the last hours and we’re really pleased,” Jaissle said.
“For a young age, he is already showing a lot of strength on the pitch. His physical levels are really strong for our idea of how we want to play football.
“That speed up front can cause many problems, he is versatile, which gives us the freedom to adjust from match to match. This is something I like as a coach that we are flexible.”
Newcastle will take care over how quickly they build up his workload, however, with Jaissle adding:
“He is fit and training with us. It has been a while since he played a full 90 minutes so it is also, for a young lad, important to adapt towards our intensity in training but also in the Premier League.
“We will have a close eye on him and be smart with the load management.”
The excitement is clear, but Jaissle wants his new signing ready to sustain the demands of English football as well as make an immediate impression.
