Who is Newcastle-linked Matthias Jaissle, the favourite to succeed Eddie Howe at St James' Park?

Five years on from completing their takeover and appointing Eddie Howe, Newcastle United's owners are in the process of hiring a new head coach.

Sources told ESPN on Thursday morning that the former Bournemouth and Burnley manager is set to leave his role just 25 days before Newcastle's first game of the season against Liverpool.

Perhaps even more surprising is the name of the man who is reportedly set to replace him: Matthias Jaissle.

But who is the Al Ahli head coach? ESPN takes a look...

What has Matthias Jaissle's career looked like?

Jaissle's is not a name that many English football fans will be familiar with, having had a bright but relatively low-profile managerial career so far.

The German came through the academy at Stuttgart and was capped for his nation at under-21 level, before going on to play 65 times for Hoffenheim.

However, he was forced to retire in 2014 at the age of 25 due to an injury, and quickly began coaching, becoming assistant manager of Brondby in 2017.

Two years later, he joined RB Salzburg as the under-18s coach, before taking his first head coach role at FC Liefering, also based in Salzburg.

Despite only managing the team for the second half of the 2020-21 season, he took Liefering to second in the Austrian Second League, earning him the task of replacing Jesse Marsch at RB Salzburg.

Jaissle's tenure was extremely successful, as he won the Austrian Bundesliga in both of his seasons at the club, took them to the Champions League knockout phases for the first time in their history and oversaw the development of the likes of Karim Adeyemi, Benjamin Sesko and Noah Okafor.

He was sacked in 2023, reportedly because of his desire to join Al Ahli, and promptly became head coach of the Saudi club.

The German has continued to find success in the Middle East, leading Al Ahli to back-to-back AFC Champions League titles in 2024-25 and 2025-26.

How do his teams play?

As his career might suggest, Jaissle's playing style is very much typical of the Red Bull philosophy.

Throughout his career, his teams have looked to press smartly and aggressively, looking to quickly progress the ball once possession is regained.

While at Salzburg, he favoured a 4-4-2 diamond formation with Brenden Aaronson supporting Adeyemi and Okafor.

However, while at Al Ahli he has used a more typical 4-2-3-1 system, with Galeno and Riyad Mahrez playing on each flank, and Ivan Toney as the single central striker.

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Why might he appeal to Newcastle?

Newcastle's Saudi owners will obviously have been paying close attention to Jaissle's success at Al Ahli, but it would perhaps be unfair to suggest that the country in which he manages is the only reason why he is reportedly set to take charge at Newcastle.

His preferred 4-2-3-1 formation would suit Newcastle's squad well. Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento would likely be expected to support the wingers, allowing them to drift into central areas and supply plenty of goals and assists.

Bazoumana Touré, who arrived for £42 million ($56m) after providing five goals and 12 assists for Jaissle's former club Hoffenheim last season, would likely suit that winger role.

The system would likely also suit Newcastle's other outfield arrivals -- Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur -- who may each occupy a holding midfield role, particularly if Bruno Guimarães departs the club.

Information from PA contributed to this report.