Newcastle United are showing plenty of tenacity and fight at the start of the Matthias Jaissle era, but there's no question that there are technical and creative issues that need sorting out.

Teething problems were always going to impact Jaissle at the start of his tenure at St. James' Park. So many summer setbacks were always going to make it stuff to string together results at the start of the 2026/27 season - especially after finishing 12th in the Premier League last year.

At the end of the Eddie Howe era, the Magpies had an ageing squad. That has been shifted over the course of the summer, but Jaissle now has to manage so many new parts while trying to establish a run of form that will take the outfit back into European competition.

There has been a marked shift in transfer strategy this summer. Forcibly, Newcastle have had to adapt, but the new seeds could lead to a new kind of success on Tyneside.

How Newcastle's youthful spending could spark success

Newcastle's turn toward a more youthful sheen is reflected through the manager, who replaced Howe after the title-winning coach stepped down at the end of July. Jaissle, 38, is quite the character, and 'character' he has instilled after just one month in the dugout.

Remarkably, Newcastle did not sign a single player over the age of 24 this summer, even though they offloaded experienced mainstays such as Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon. The likes of Lewis Miley and Lewis Hall have the chance to step up, surrounded by many youthful additions.

For example, Aladji Bamba and Sean Steur have a combined age of 38, but they are two of the most exciting young midfielders in the Premier League - and in the case of Steur in particular, the Toon persuasion believe they have signed a generational talent, his immense technicality and awareness pinned back only by a lack of physicality which will come with age and experience.

Newcastle have veered away from the older make-up that Howe inherited in 2021. The likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Karl Darlow were among the first out of the door, and later, Howe recognised the importance of cutting fan favourites such as Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron, replacing them with Gordon and Anthony Elanga.

Jaissle is still learning about his squad, but he too might have to get rid of a few mainstays in the not-so-distant future, with a new version of Almorim emerging on Tyneside.

Why Newcastle star is becoming the new Almiron

Almiron is fondly remembered at Newcastle, but in totality, he left a lot to be desired, having scored only 30 goals across 223 appearances. Almiron spent seven years at the club, and eight of those strikes came during a two-month purple patch during the first half of the 2022/23 season.

Such form was instrumental in firing Howe's Newcastle into the Champions League, though, and with that in mind, Sven Botman could be showing shades of the Paraguayan attacker right now.

The Dutch international has been at Newcastle since the early days of the Howe era, joining from Lille for around £35m. He enjoyed an emphatic debut campaign, but has skittered his way forward over the past several seasons.

Botman has undoubtedly been unfortunate on the injury front, but he has blown hot and cold when fit, and his recent performance against Bournemouth illustrated that fact.

Though the 26-year-old had a poor pre-season, he impressed - for the most part - against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur to start the campaign. But after only three matches in the Premier League, he has made three direct defensive errors, unable to shake off the question marks that linger over him.

Against the Cherries, Malick Thiaw did not have his finest game either, but it's clear that Botman will lose his place in the starting line-up if he is not careful, Fabian Schar breathing down his back.

Botman might not share technical and stylistic tendancies with Almiron, but he is certainly one of the most frustrating to players to watch on Tyneside right now, mimicking the South American in failing to string together the kind of consistency that could mark him as one of the best in the Premier League. Sadly, his error-strewn displays bear testament to that.

Are we ever going to see that same elite version of Botman again? To be sure, we are treated to flashes, but his “sloppy” approach in possession, as was noted by analyst Raj Chohan after the recent draw to Bournemouth, and lack of consistency means he will never realise his true potential.