Newcastle 2026-27 Season Preview - Three Stars Depart as Eddie Howe Leaves Magpies

John Eastwood

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Last updated: 2 hours ago

John Eastwood 2 hours ago

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Newcastle finished 12th last season, triggering a huge rebuild.
New manager Jaissle & multiple young signings aim to refresh squad.
Losing key stars (Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Tonali), the club needs more experience to target the top 10.

Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali are massive losses for Newcastle in midfield (Getty Images).

Last Season’s Summary

Newcastle endured a hugely disappointing 2025/26 campaign, finishing 12th in the Premier League after a season in which they struggled to reproduce the standards of their Carabao Cup-winning campaign.
Last Season’s Summary
Newcastle Coaching Change
Key Transfers In
Key Transfers Out
Three Key Players
Main Areas for Improvement
Upcoming Newcastle Transfer Activity
Overall Season Expectations - Newcastle United

The Magpies finished with 49 points, losing 17 of their 38 league matches and ending the season in the bottom half. It was a dramatic regression after Eddie Howe had guided the club back into the Champions League in 2024/25.

Newcastle Coaching Change

Matthias Jaissle arrives at St James' Park with the responsibility of replacing Eddie Howe and rebuilding Newcastle after one of the club's most turbulent summers.

The 38-year-old German arrives from Al Ahli after previously making his name at RB Salzburg, where he won the Austrian Bundesliga. He has never managed in the Premier League, making this his biggest challenge to date.

Jaissle's football is built around aggressive pressing, intensity and quick transitions, which should provide Newcastle with a clear tactical identity. His previous work within the Red Bull coaching structure has given him a reputation for developing young players and playing energetic football.

Key Transfers In

Newcastle have focused heavily on young players during the summer, with Bazoumana Touré arriving from Hoffenheim and Sean Steur joining from Ajax. Both are regarded as long-term investments rather than immediate replacements for the club's departing stars.

Aladji Bamba has also joined from Monaco on a five-year contract, while goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen arrived from Rennes. Lukas Hornicek was signed from Braga for around £25.7 million and is expected to compete for the No.1 position.

Amar Dedić has now become the club's sixth summer signing after arriving from Benfica for around £29.5 million. The Bosnia international previously worked with Jaissle at Salzburg and is expected to start at right-back with Tino Livramento injured.

Key Transfers Out

Newcastle have experienced an extraordinary number of major departures, with Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães all leaving during the summer.

Gordon has joined Barcelona, while Tonali has moved to Tottenham and Guimarães has joined Arsenal. The loss of Guimarães is particularly significant because the Brazilian was captain, midfield leader and Newcastle's leading Premier League scorer last season. Tonali's departure then removes another major source of quality and experience from the centre of the pitch.

Three Key Players

Nick Woltemade: The German could be Newcastle's most important attacking player after establishing himself as a genuine threat during his first season in England. He scored eight Premier League goals and will be expected to take on greater responsibility following Gordon's departure.

Malick Thiaw: The central defender excelled in his first season. He will only get better now that he has settled into life in England. Should the German get injured, the defence looks vulnerable and slow.

Joelinton: He may be the most important remaining senior midfielder. His physicality, experience and ability to play in several positions make him particularly valuable after Newcastle lost both Guimarães and Tonali. His leadership will also be important for a squad that has become considerably younger.

Main Areas for Improvement

Newcastle's biggest priority is restoring attacking creativity after losing Isak last summer and now Gordon and Guimarães. Those three players provided a huge amount of the team's individual quality, and there is no obvious replacement for their combined output.

The midfield also needs to become more reliable. Tonali and Guimarães have both departed, leaving Joelinton, Lewis Miley, Jacob Ramsey and the young summer signings with significant responsibility.

Defensive consistency must improve too. Newcastle conceded 64 Premier League goals last season, and Jaissle will need to establish a much more aggressive but organised pressing structure if the team are to compete higher up the table.

Upcoming Newcastle Transfer Activity

Newcastle's transfer business is definitely not finished because Jaissle has made it clear that further reinforcements are required before the deadline. The club have already spent heavily on younger players, but the manager wants more established quality to balance the squad.

Nico González is a midfield option after his difficult spell at Manchester City, with Newcastle negotiating over a possible move. The club are also looking at other experienced midfielders as they attempt to address one of the most obvious weaknesses in the squad.

With the Premier League transfer deadline approaching on September 1st, Newcastle still have time to add the experience Jaissle needs. The priority should be obvious: bring in players capable of contributing immediately rather than continuing to rely almost exclusively on long-term projects.

Overall Season Expectations - Newcastle United

Newcastle should be targeting a significant improvement on last season's 12th-place finish, but expectations have to be tempered because of the scale of the rebuild. The club have lost several of their best players and appointed a manager with no Premier League experience.

A top-10 finish would represent a successful first season for Jaissle, while pushing for European qualification should be viewed as an ambitious target rather than an expectation.

Graduated from the University of Portsmouth in 2008 with a BA in English Literature before completing MA in Journalism. Began his career as a sports journalist in London before moving to the Middle East to work as a sports editor for national media companies in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Favourite Sports: Tennis, Boxing, Golf.