After Eddie Howe’s departure, the Newcastle United fanbase had their wishes granted with the chance for a new manager to take the reins and change the club’s fortunes.
Matthias Jaissle was the man chosen to replace the Englishman at St James’ Park, but it’s safe to say the Magpies faithful have clear evidence that you should be careful what you wish for.
The German has only claimed victory in five out of his 11 games at the helm across all competitions, which has seen fans raise concerns about his long-term future on Tyneside.
Why Jaissle is to blame for Newcastle’s recent struggles
Since his appointment, Jaissle has continued to utilise a 4-2-3-1 system, but there’s no denying that it’s holding his side back from securing success in the Premier League.
His side have now lost four of their last six matches across all competitions, which has ended their chances of securing Carabao Cup success, and confined them to 12th place in England’s top-flight.
The 38-year-old’s team selections have left a lot to be desired within the Magpies fanbase, as he continues to select players who are out of form and past their best.
Following the departure of various high-profile talents during the summer window, the hierarchy invested over £200m in new additions to soften the blow on Tyneside.
However, Jaissle only started three of their new additions during Thursday’s defeat to Everton, leaving many fans questioning his faith in the new arrivals.
Why Jaissle finally needs to bench Willock & Murphy at Newcastle
Despite the influx of arrivals during the recent window, Jaissle has decided to keep faith in a handful of long-standing senior members of the Newcastle squad to provide the goods.
Attackers Joe Willock and Jacob Murphy have both been mainstays in the German’s squad, with the aforementioned pair starting at least 64% of matches in the 2026/27 campaign.
However, their continued selection has left supporters baffled, as their subsequent figures during the defeat to Everton on Thursday evening highlight their lack of quality in forward areas.
Both of the Englishmen were unable to complete a single dribble during the meeting at the Hill Dickinson, which led to the Magpies struggling to create any meaningful threat in forward areas.
|
Newcastle’s top scorers (2026/27) |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Goals |
|
Anthony Elanga |
2 |
|
Joe Willock |
2 |
|
Harvey Barnes |
1 |
|
Sven Botman |
1 |
|
Lewis Hall |
1 |
|
Jacob Ramsey |
1 |
|
Bazoumana Touré |
1 |
|
Yoane Wissa |
1 |
During the first 11 games of the season, the duo have only combined for five goals between them to date, another reason why the side have struggled in attacking areas this term.
Why Newcastle have a £110m duo worse than Murphy & Willock
As previously mentioned, the Newcastle board have spent a pretty penny in recent years, but not all of their investments have proved to be worthwhile in years gone by.
The attacking department has seen the largest chunk of the investment, but given the continued performances of the additions, the likes of Murphy and Willock still continue to start.
Last summer, Yoane Wissa was seen as the man to replace the outgoing Alexander Isak, whilst Matias Fernandez-Pardo has been tasked with emulating the success of Anthony Gordon.
Both of the pair did cost a pretty penny though, with the aforementioned talents arriving at St James’ Park for a combined total of £106m – a simply staggering fee.
The latter of the pair earned around £4m in wages alone last campaign, taking the total package for the attacking talents to around the £110m mark at present.
However, despite the original hype around their transfers, it’s safe to say they have both failed to deliver on Tyneside – with the pair only scoring two league goals between them in 32 outings.
Fernandez-Pardo has only just arrived at the Magpies, and will need time to settle, but the early signs have certainly been far from positive for the Belgian international.
He’s ranked in the bottom 10% for shots on target and chances created per 90, which has no doubt played a part in his inability to register a goal or assist for the Magpies to date.
As for Wissa, his £55m move last summer has failed to ignite and been unable to emulate the impact made by former striker Isak – the player who he was tasked with replacing.
Like Fernandez-Pardo, the DR Congo international has been unable to impress with his shooting ability, as he too has been bettered by 80% of players in the Premier League for shots on target per 90 this term.
Given their respective struggles, it’s safe to say that the Magpies have wasted a massive amount of money in landing the pair, and that their £110m investment has been largely unsuccessful.
Should they sell the pair at present, they would no doubt lose a small fortune on their original investment – which in turn has made them a bigger waste than the likes of Willock and Murphy.
