Matthias Jaissle was finally confirmed as the new Newcastle United manager on Wednesday.
The club having formally announced the departure of Eddie Howe last Friday.
Matthias Jaissle had travelled to La Manga at the weekend ahead of the club officially being able to make him official.
A reported problem with paperwork at the Al Ahli end of things apparently leading to it dragging on.
Matthias Jaissle though is now working (watch below) with the Newcastle United squad in La Manga.
A friendly against Valencia on Saturday will be his first match in charge of the team.
Matthias Jaissle has met with the NUFC media for the first time: “Where can Newcastle United finish this season after all the changes? That is a tough question after only one day of officially being the manager. We lost a couple of really important players but I see it as a positive challenge. We can search for excuses but that’s not our idea.”
Matthias Jaissle asked about the soon to depart Bruno Guimaraes: “I met him quickly but the decision was already made [for him to go to Arsenal], it was a nice conversation. He is a fantastic player and a great human being. It is tough but for him now it’s the next challenge and we need to deal with it at a later stage. We trust the players who are here already but we will also see some changes.”
Matthias Jaissle asked about more arrivals in this transfer window: “Give me a bit of time to get to know the players. I want to get to know the [current players] first to see if they can show up. I want to give them a chance. We can wait. But we have the capacity do something in the market. Our sporting director is aware of that, so I’m sure when the season starts we will see some new faces.”
Matthias Jaissle summing up the situation: “This is a challenge and there are so many transitions at the moment…many big players have left, legends of the club, but we need to see it as a chance. Not having too many excuses now, just thinking forward about what we can influence. Control the controllables, I used to say, and I’m sure there will be progress this season.”