At Newcastle United, Eddie Howe gave everything – in for a penny, in for a pound. However, this summer, he knew his project had been exhausted, and he stepped down.
It felt like the bitter cherry on top of a sour cake for Newcastle, who had already lost Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali. Captain Bruno Guimaraes was in the process of joining Premier League champions Arsenal for £75m, and that proved the final straw for Howe.
Perhaps Howe felt his Toon midfield had been dealt a catastrophic blow, but the Magpies have actually made some savvy signings this summer, and they could pay off handsomely in the long run.
It’s not midfield, but in attack, where Jaissle looked like he might come unstuck, but resurgent stars and promising signings could see the Toon challenge for a route back into Europe across the campaign.
How Jaissle is restoring Newcastle’s frontline
One year ago, Alexander Isak’s mutinous move to Merseyside rocked the Newcastle boat too hard. Howe’s side never quite recovered, slumping to a 12th-place finish in the Premier League.
However, PIF have been determined not to let lightning strike twice, and Gordon’s sale has been countered. Indeed, there was an amicable feeling to the big-money transfer.
Gordon was undoubtedly a focal point under Howe’s management, but across each of the past two league campaigns, he only scored six times. Jaissle has managed to spark fresh life into a Toon attack that wasn’t that clinical and fluent anyway.
It has also helped that Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes have been resurgent. Elanga endured a tough first season on Tyneside, failing to score in the Premier League last season. He has two goals from three fixtures this term, and is playing with much more gusto.
And Barnes, ever the prolific threat, looks more combative and involved than he often is down the left wing. Perhaps he believes it is time to step up and assume more responsibility now that Gordon has left for sunny Spain.
Gordon will still be missed. Matias Fernandez-Pardo has the skill and physicality to establish himself as a talismanic figure, but it’s actually another exciting forward who could rise as Jaissle’s very own version of the Three Lions winger.
Jaissle’s own Gordon has become Newcastle’s most valuable player
Gordon might have ebbed and flowed in front of goal, but there can be no denying the 25-year-old’s talismanic quality, his willingness to step up and be the main man.
Fernandez-Pardo carries himself in a similar way, but has already intimated a desire and expectation to challenge Yoane Wissa for the centre-forward’s berth.
Instead, it’s Bazoumana Toure who could emerge as the new Gordon over the course of the campaign. The Ivory Coast winger was one of the first through the door this summer, signing for £43m at the start of July, a month after Gordon joined Barcelona.
Hailed last season as “one of the most exciting young wingers in Europe” by journalist Bence Bocsak, Toure, 20, made waves in Germany last season, with his pace, athleticism and creativity all drawing plaudits.
The leap from the Bundesliga to the Premier League is a big one. It was always expected that Toure would take time to gel on Tyneside, and his bit-part role in the top flight thus far emphasises that.
|
League Form 2025/26 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (* per 90) |
Toure |
Gordon |
|
Matches (starts) |
30 (29) |
26 (24) |
|
Goals + Assists |
5 + 9 |
6 + 2 |
|
Touches* |
42.6 |
36.0 |
|
Shots (on target)* |
1.6 (0.4) |
1.8 (0.8) |
|
Accurate passes* |
16.8 (76%) |
16.3 (82%) |
|
Big chances created |
11 |
5 |
|
Key passes* |
1.5 |
1.0 |
|
Succ. dribbles* |
1.6 |
1.3 |
|
Ball recoveries* |
4.2 |
2.2 |
|
Tackles + interceptions* |
1.3 |
0.8 |
|
Duels won* |
5.1 |
3.8 |
However, Jaissle and co have all the confidence that he will make the leap. Toure, after all, has already established himself as Newcastle’s most valuable player – with Transfermarkt illustrating that his £44m value trumps every other player in the squad.
Of course, in reality, both Fernandez-Pardo and Nico Gonzalez from Manchester City for £50m cost more to bring over to the club, but there’s no question that Toure could explode into form when he finishes integrating into this new setting.
Barnes has made a strong start to the season, but the Ivorian speedster has the potential to make the left wing berth his own on Tyneside. Whether he does so in the next weeks/months, or whether it takes longer, remains to be seen – but there’s no question that Newcastle are onto a winner here, having signed a potential superstar for a comparatively low fee.
We get the sense suitors will be quoted at much more than £43m when they inevitably come sniffing around in the future.