There’s going to be a new man in Toon – Matthias Jaissle is expected to soon replace Eddie Howe as Newcastle United’s head coach.

A close confidant of England boss Thomas Tuchel, under whom he played in Stuttgart’s academy, the 38-year-old will take the reins after leading Saudi Pro League side – and Newcastle’s sister club – Al Ahli to back-to-back Asian Champions League crowns. Before that he led Red Bull Salzburg to successive titles after taking over at just 33.

So, what can Newcastle fans expect?

Well, first of all, they can strap themselves in for some all-action football.

Jaissle is a fully fledged member of the ‘RB Style’ adopted by clubs in the Red Bull network, a philosophy implemented by German coach Ralf Rangnick of whom Jaissle is a steadfast disciple. Fast, flat-out, intense pressing, win it back high up the pitch and get to the goal as quickly as possible.

‘We want to be courageous, bold, and attack-minded,’ said Jaissle of his style back in 2022, after winning the Austrian double in his first season at RB Salzburg, having joined from their feeder club, second-division side FC Liefering. ‘Naturally, this should be combined with high pressing to put the opposition under a lot of pressure.’

Matthias Jaissle is on the brink of being named as the new Newcastle head coach, after Eddie Howe’s abrupt departure this week 

The 38-year-old German won the Austrian Bundesliga in both of his seasons at Red Bull Salzburg, and then won back-to-back Asian Champions Leagues at Al Ahli

He wants his teams to be relentless off the ball.

‘I want stress on the opponent as soon as possible,’ he told The Athletic in January. ‘And when we win the ball, I want to go as quickly as possible towards the opponent’s goal. I’m very vertical (forwards, rather than sideways) in that approach.’

As a coach, Jaissle likes to keep things simple. He talks of not wanting to ‘overwhelm’ his players with too much information and likes to use one-to-one meetings to convey his messages. While his principles have remained the same, he has tweaked his shape and approach over the years. During his time at Salzburg, he used a narrow diamond formation with his full-backs providing the width.

Since his switch to the Al Ahli, he’s been much more flexible. He’s opted for a 4-2-3-1 with Riyad Mahrez on one flank behind striker Ivan Toney, who notched 32 goals in the league last season. He’s played 4-4-2, 4-3-3 and even gone three at the back on occasion. His structure was more controlled but the demands to win the ball back high remained.

‘It is not about formations that much,’ said Jaissle. ‘It is more how you want to play, how you want to attack, how you want to defend.’ He even managed to get the mercurial Mahrez pressing. Only five other forwards won the ball back in the final third more often than the former Manchester City and Leicester winger.

What it will mean is a style shift for Newcastle. The Magpies were renowned for their intensity under Howe early in his tenure but drifted into a more pedestrian approach, especially as they tried – and struggled – to juggle Champions League commitments, which they do not have to worry about this year.

Jaissle’s Al Ahli moved the ball up the pitch faster than any Premier League side last season while only Sunderland and West Ham played a higher percentage of their passes forward than Al Ahli.

But they were by no means sitting back and counter-attacking. They were in your face at all times. Al Ahli allowed opponents fewer passes before trying to win it back than any Premier League side managed and, on average, started their attacks closer to the opposition goal than all but Man City. There are, of course, caveats to be made between the respective qualities of the two leagues, but Jaissle’s demands are clear.

Newcastle were far from being the Premier League’s possession kings last season, firmly in midtable with their 450 passes per game but that is Guardiola-esque compared to Al Ahli’s 346, which put them fourth-fewest across the entire Saudi Pro League.

The Magpies averaged far more attacks made up of ten or more passes, and almost twice the number of them that ended up in a shot on goal.

Toon fans can prepare themselves for some high-octane football. No tippy-tappy. Press hard, get it forward. It is, in many ways, exactly the style of football that is starting to dominate the Premier League.

So who will thrive under Newcastle’s new man? 

For a start, it’s a shame that Anthony Gordon, a willing runner and a real threat in a direct system has now joined Barcelona.

It’s a system that seems purpose-built for Anthony Elanga. The winger failed to score a single league goal last season after a £55million move from Nottingham Forest but a second chance in a side that wants to play in, for want of a less nerdy phrase, a ‘vertical transition team’ could be just what he needs. No player averaged more sprints per 90 minutes than Elanga last season.

Likewise, Newcastle’s £42.3million summer signing Bazoumana Touré, a rapid Ivorian who is highly touted as a star of the future. Get on yer bike, young man. Will Jacob Murphy, now 31, have the legs for the press?

Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall could also thrive under Jaissle. Even when he sets up in a 4-3-3, when his side has the ball, he wants his full backs to push up alongside the winger to help overload in wide areas.

You can see from the average position map of their victory over Al Kholood at the end of last season how the team moves into a 3-2-5 shape – also very common in the Premier League these days – with centre back Merih Demiral shifting wide and right back Ali Majrashi joining Mahrez high up the pitch.

New £42.3million signing Bazoumana Toure could thrive in Jaissle’s high-intensity system

What that pitch map also shows is how Jaissle has room for someone to come crashing out of the midfield line. For Al Ahli in that game it was former AC Milan and Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie, who assisted two of the goals in a 3-0 win.

For Salzburg, that was Brenden Aaronson, now at Leeds, who praised Jaissle for helping him adapt to a new position. ‘He’s taught me a different way of playing the No10 role,’ he said. ‘More runs in behind and late runs into the box. My playmaking skills and final pass have gotten better.’

For Newcastle, that could be Joelinton, although there are doubts over his future at the club after he asked to leave earlier this summer for Saudi Arabia. A few seasons ago, that could well have been Joe Willock, who made a reputation for himself for arriving late in the box to score.

Replacing £100million Sandro Tonali will be far from straightforward and Newcastle have bagged a couple of newbies in 18-year-old Sean Steur and 20-year-old Aladji Bamba. ‘The way he works and develops young players is exceptional,’ said Christoph Freund, the then-Salzburg sporting director. Newcastle fans will hope he’s right.

After a frustrating debut season for Newcastle curtailed by a knee injury, Jaissle’s arrival could well get the best out of Yoane Wissa. Like Elanga, the striker had a good World Cup. And he showed during his time at Brentford that he is superb at leading a team’s press from the front. During his final campaign with the Bees, he was among the leading strikers in the division for winning possession back in the final third.

How Nick Woltemade can adapt is the more interesting dilemma. Howe could never quite figure out where his best position was and you wonder whether Jaissle will have the same problem.

Jaissle has little need for a 6ft 6in target man, off whom he wants knockdowns and flicks with his back to goal, but Woltemade offers more than just that. He can drop between the lines and play as much as a creator as a goalscorer. Jaissle worked with 6ft 5in Manchester United striker Benjamin Sesko at Salzburg, so can get the best out of big men. But Woltemade’s struggles with running the channels or leading the press will likely hold him back if he’s to remain up top.

Toney is hardly renowned as an elite presser, but proved that he’s still a ruthless goalscorer and even he showed he can get stuck in and win the ball back high.

Jaissle’s Salzburg reached the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history in 2021, finishing above Sevilla and Wolfsburg in their group

Nick Pope’s future at Newcastle is already uncertain. The club have already signed 20-year-old keeper Ewen Jaouen and are believed to be closing in on Braga stopper Lukas Hornicek.

Jaissle’s arrival will do little to brighten Pope’s chances. ‘Goalkeeper is not a position by itself any more,’ said Jaissle. ‘It is completely included with the other guys. A goalkeeper has to have an understanding of all phases of the game.’ That, sadly, is not Pope’s game.

Above all, Newcastle fans will hope Rasmus Kristensen, who played under Jaissle at Salzburg, has the right view of their new man.

‘He is a born winner,’ said Kristensen. ‘He possesses that special winning mentality.’