'They are not stupid' - Newcastle stars 'hyper-critical' of Matthias Jaissle's 'first training sessions'
Newcastle United's new manager Matthias Jaissle faces a challenge to get the club's senior players on side after Eddie Howe's exit.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that there are "question marks" over whether the squad will "buy into" the German's methods.
Jaissle arrives on Tyneside having won back-to-back Asian Champions League titles with Al Ahli, but must pick up the pieces after Howe's shock resignation.
It has been a tumultuous summer for the Magpies, and Wyness has indicated that they are now having to "change their identity" in the final weeks before the new Premier League season.
Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali have already left St James' Park, while Bruno Guimaraes is also on the verge of joining Arsenal.
With a new man also now at the helm at Newcastle, Wyness is genuinely concerned that things might get worse before they get better on Tyneside.
Matthias Jaissle needs 'luck' on his side at Newcastle
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that Jaissle will need "luck" on his side in the early stages of his tenure.
The 38-year-old has been handed a four-year deal with his new club, and Wyness believes that is a hugely risky move from the board.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, he outlined that getting the players on side will be one of Jaissle's toughest tasks.
"I've seen it before when you bring in a new manager, players are hyper-critical, and they're very observant, and players are not stupid; they know what a good manager is and what a bad one is," Wyness said.
"They know how training should be, and they know what to expect, and most of them really don't mind stepping up in levels, but they'll be watching his first few training sessions and how he interacts with them.
"Newcastle were at a different place. They were starting to believe in themselves, and they'd won that first trophy. They had some really quality players and names coming in. They expected to add to that.
"And now we've sort of reversed and gone back into them being a young, aggressive team again. They're having to change their identity almost midstream.
"There's a question mark as to whether the senior players in the squad can buy into that now, having had Eddie Howe and really loving him from what I understand. It's a big risk for all concerned.
"There are nice things being said about him (Jaissle), there's no doubt, but it's a big task and to do it under the glare of the Premier League, he'd better wish for a lucky start and to not get any injuries."
Newcastle plan to loan out summer signing who's just joined
Football Insider revealed earlier this week that Newcastle will consider sanctioning a loan move for young goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen in the coming weeks.
The Magpies recently added Lukas Hornicek as their new number one, and are now prepared to trim the goalkeeping department as a result.
It is understood that if veteran Nick Pope continues to remain at the club, then Jaouen may be loaned out in order to get regular first-team gametime.
However, if Pope departs before the transfer deadline, then Jaouen will stay put and will serve as Hornicek's understudy.