Abdulhafiz TeslimMatthias Jaissle has met his Newcastle United players for the first time after arriving at the club’s training camp in La Manga. The 38-year-old head coach succeeds Eddie Howe in the St James’ Park hot seat ahead of the 2026/27 season and inherits a squad that still has one glaring gap to fill.
Howe spoke to reporters for the final time as Newcastle boss in the aftermath of their 4-1 friendly defeat to Bristol City on Wednesday evening and confirmed that signing a new right-back remains one of Newcastle’s biggest priorities in the transfer window. Jaissle now takes charge with that issue still unresolved.
The Magpies have signed four players so far this summer following the arrivals of goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen, winger Bazoumana Toure and midfielders Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba and are working on a deal to make Braga goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek their fifth signing of the window.
But they are still alarmingly short of options at full-back. Tino Livramento is still recovering from a calf injury picked up on England duty prior to the World Cup and is the only senior right-back currently in the squad following the departures of Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth earlier this summer.
Teenager Leo Shahar, who has made just one senior appearance so far in his career, had been trusted to start Newcastle’s first two pre-season matches but dropped to the bench in Wednesday’s defeat at Ashton Gate.
Instead, Jacob Murphy, a winger by trade who could still leave the club this summer after entering the final year of his contract amid interest from Everton, started at right-back. With just over three weeks until the Premier League season kicks off with the visit of Liverpool, it is a gap in the squad that needs filling.
When pressed on whether signing a new right-back had become Newcastle’s biggest priority for the remainder of the transfer window, Howe told Chronicle Live: “That is certainly an area that I think we need to look at. We knew that coming into the transfer window that was an area of concern.”
Shahar’s omission from the side is perhaps the biggest indication that a loan move away from Newcastle could be the logical next step in the England youth international’s development.
However, Howe insisted the Magpies would not make a “rash decision” over his future while there is still such a lack of full-backs in the squad, meaning the youngster could now get the chance to impress Jaissle during the Spanish training camp.
“We will have to look at younger players towards the end of pre-season,” Howe added. “There is no point making a rash decision now because we are going to need them during the pre-season schedule.
“Leo has been training with us for a long time, he has got some big attributes but, again, it is such a big jump from the level he has been playing at to the Premier League.”
Teenage forward Sean Neave started for the second successive match and did not look out of place against Championship opposition. On another day, he may have scored twice.
In the first half, his clever run saw him get ahead of his marker to connect with Murphy’s cross, but his point-blank effort was well saved by Bristol City goalkeeper Sam Tickle.
He then saw a left-footed effort from 15 yards crash back off the crossbar, and it is clear he is ready for more first-team exposure this season.
When asked whether that might come on loan elsewhere, Howe replied: “Sean Neave’s a different situation. We might look at that depending on the situation as we go through pre-season.”
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Abdulhafiz Teslim
