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Newcastle United have confirmed the appointment of Matthias Jaissle as the club’s new head coach following the departure of Eddie Howe.

The Genius Media Nigeria reports that the English Premier League club announced the appointment on Wednesday, with the 38-year-old German taking over at St. James’ Park after a successful spell with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.

Although Jaissle has built an impressive coaching résumé in recent years, he is yet to manage a club in one of Europe’s top-flight leagues.

Reacting to his appointment, Jaissle expressed delight at joining Newcastle, describing the opportunity as one of the biggest moments of his coaching career.

“It is an incredible honour to become head coach of Newcastle United.

“This is one of the biggest clubs in European football, with a unique history, identity and supporter base, and I am excited to experience that passion and connection first-hand.

“When Newcastle United comes your way, you take notice. The ambition of the club, the vision for the future and the opportunity ahead made this an incredibly compelling place to be. I have followed the club’s journey closely in recent years and the progress that has been made is clear for everyone to see,” he said.

Jaissle’s playing career ended prematurely at the age of 25 after he suffered an injury.

He moved into coaching and got his first managerial opportunity with Austrian club Liefering, where he guided the team to a second-place finish in the second division, matching the club’s best-ever league performance.

In 2021, he was appointed head coach of Red Bull Salzburg and enjoyed immediate success, leading the Austrian giants to back-to-back league titles as well as lifting the Austrian Cup.

He later joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli in 2023, where he further enhanced his reputation by leading the club to consecutive AFC Champions League titles in 2025 and 2026.

Jaissle takes charge of a Newcastle side looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2025/26 campaign.

His predecessor, Eddie Howe, transformed the Magpies during his five-year spell at the club after replacing Steve Bruce in November 2021.

Howe guided Newcastle back into the UEFA Champions League in 2023 before securing qualification again in 2025.

His biggest achievement came in March 2025 when Newcastle defeated Liverpool in the League Cup final to win their first major trophy since 1969.

Despite his earlier successes, Howe came under increasing pressure last season as Newcastle struggled in the Premier League.

The uncertainty surrounding striker Alexander Isak’s prolonged transfer to Liverpool affected the team’s campaign, with the Magpies finishing 12th after suffering 17 defeats in 38 league matches.

Newcastle also reached the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 but were convincingly beaten 8-3 on aggregate by Barcelona.

The club has since lost more key players during the summer transfer window, with midfielder Sandro Tonali joining Tottenham Hotspur and England international Anthony Gordon completing a move to Barcelona.

Jaissle will now be expected to rebuild the squad and restore Newcastle’s challenge for European qualification and domestic honours.

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The 10 time Winner and the defending champion, has Nigeria’s Super Falcons defeated Egypt 6-2 in an 8-goal thriller during their final Group C match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Rabat, Morocco.

Needing victory to keep their knockout-stage hopes alive after losing to Malawi and beating Zambia in their opening two matches, the 10-time African champions delivered an emphatic performance at the Stade Larbi Zaouli.

Nigeria took the lead in the 21st minute when Asisat Oshoala calmly converted a penalty after the referee awarded a spot kick following a VAR review for a possible handball.

The Super Falcons doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time through substitute Gift Monday, who scored her first goal of the tournament with a decisive finish.

Egypt, however, pulled one back moments before the break after Nadine Ghazi converted a penalty awarded following another VAR review, sending the teams into half-time with Nigeria leading 2-1.

Nigeria resumed the second half on the front foot and restored their two-goal cushion in the 57th minute when substitute Uchenna Kanu capitalised on a defensive lapse to score.

The pressure continued to pay off as the Super Falcons were awarded another penalty after a VAR check in the 78th minute.

Christy Ucheibe stepped up in the 81st minute and calmly placed the ball into the right corner to make it 4-1.

Egypt responded three minutes later through Ghazi, who grabbed her second goal of the game to reduce the deficit to 4-2.

Any hopes of an Egyptian comeback were quickly extinguished when Nigeria won a fourth penalty after another VAR review late in the match.

Captain Rashidat Ajibade confidently converted in the 91st minute to extend the lead to 5-2.

Deep into stoppage time, Ajibade turned provider, setting up Joy Omewa, who rounded off the scoring in the 94th minute to complete a resounding 6-2 victory.

Nigeria finished the match with 59 per cent possession and six goals from a relentless attacking performance that secured their place in the last eight of the continental competition.

The encounter also saw several disciplinary incidents, with Egypt’s Essam H., Menna Tarek and Nour Abdelwahed all booked, while Nigeria’s Michelle Alozie and substitute Uchenna Kanu received yellow cards. Egypt coach Mohamed Kamal was also cautioned late in the game.

The convincing win sends the Super Falcons into the WAFCON 2026 quarter-finals with renewed momentum after recovering from their opening defeat of the tournament.

The scorers are:

Asisat Oshoala

Gift Monday

Uchenna Kanu

Christy Ucheibe

Rasheedat Ajibade

Joy Omewa

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Arsenal have agreed a £75m fee with Newcastle for their captain Bruno Guimaraes.

He has been permitted to travel for a medical.

Guimaraes told Newcastle bosses earlier this summer that he wanted to join Arsenal if a suitable offer arrived.

Arsenal’s opening bid was rejected, but the 28-year-old now looks set to join the Premier League champions.

Guimaraes, who joined the Magpies in 2022 from Lyon for £40m, has made 195 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 31 goals.

Newcastle had been keen to ensure Guimaraes, who has two years left on his contract plus a club-held option for a third, remained at the club, but if this deal goes through as expected, they will have made more than £240m from player sales this summer.

Anthony Gordon joined Barcelona in a £69.3m deal and Spurs signed Sandro Tonali for £100m, while manager Eddie Howe also departed in what has been a turbulent summer at St James’ Park.

Newcastle were desperate to keep Bruno Guimaraes, and if he had said he wanted to stay, Newcastle would have refused any offer from Arsenal or any other club.

Attempts to persuade Guimaraes otherwise were made and positive conversations were held, but he was insistent he wanted to leave because he felt this was his last big opportunity to win titles.

The deal could only go ahead if two things happened: Guimaraes said he wanted to leave (which he has respectfully), and Newcastle sold on their terms, similar to Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon.

Newcastle insisted it was their valuation or no deal. They would only sell Guimaraes at a fee that would become one of the highest paid for a player aged 28 or over.

In addition, a deal would only be sanctioned if the situation was handled properly – for example, Guimaraes attending Newcastle’s training camp in Spain, which he reported to on Monday.

Newcastle feel Guimaraes has complied with their demands immaculately. They did not want a repeat of the Alexander Isak situation, where he refused to train before joining Liverpool last summer.

Agents were in between the clubs from the outset, but Newcastle refused all pushes, which had begun with mentions of a deal worth £40-£45m in June.

Newcastle were left frustrated because they felt Arsenal elongated the transfer by refusing to contact them for weeks.

Newcastle insist there have been no fallouts and good relations remain between player and club.
This is a statement signing for Arsenal.

Guimaraes is one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, if not the world, and from a position of strength, Arsenal have taken him from Newcastle.

Midfield is already an area of the pitch where Arsenal are strong, but Guimaraes’ arrival is certainly an upgrade, with Christian Norgaard set for a move to Everton.

Myles Lewis-Skelly was playing incredibly well at the end of last season and started the Champions League final. Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino are World Cup winners and, after some rest, will be ready to go.

There’s Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze in the No 10 position alongside the two potential starters in Declan Rice and Guimaraes.

The Brazilian gives Arteta even more options, and it also allows for the possibility for Declan Rice to get a breather in certain games after his exploits last season.

It’s a world-class midfield, and if Arsenal weren’t favourites for the title already, they are now.
It is easy to understand Arsenal’s interest in Guimaraes.

The Newcastle captain is one of the Premier League’s most complete midfielders, capable of dominating and destroying but also scoring and creating, with passing ability to match his physicality.

If the Gunners do secure his signature, he would be joining a group of midfielders which includes Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard, Mikel Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly.