Nicolas Seiwald Newcastle interest is building, with Matthias Jaissle reportedly keen on the Newcastle United head coach reuniting with the RB Leipzig midfielder, but the Magpies face a tough task prising him away from Germany.
Jaissle factor behind Nicolas Seiwald Newcastle interest
Jaissle is said to be a big fan of Seiwald, who played under him at RB Salzburg. The 25-year-old defensive midfielder has 51 caps for Austria and spent time working directly with the man now in the St James’ Park dugout. That personal connection is driving the reported interest.
There is a catch, though. According to Chronicle Live, Seiwald is firmly part of Leipzig’s plans, and no approach has yet been made by Newcastle. Wanting a player and actually landing one are very different things, especially this late in the window.
Yahoo Sports reports that Seiwald’s contract runs until 2028, which means Leipzig hold all the leverage. Clubs do not sell a player tied down for two more years unless the price is right, and with Seiwald fresh off a strong season and a World Cup, Leipzig have no obvious reason to drop their asking price.
Chronicle Live also notes that Seiwald started all of Austria’s games at the World Cup after making 37 appearances last season. That workload and those performances only underline why Leipzig are in no rush to let him go.
Newcastle need a midfielder badly. Bruno Guimaraes has gone to Arsenal, leaving a sizeable gap in the engine room. Jaissle wants time to assess his squad after taking over from Eddie Howe last week, but with the window closing, decisions cannot wait indefinitely. The Seiwald link makes sense positionally and given the managerial relationship, but the timing and the contract situation make it genuinely difficult.
Nkunku emerges as Newcastle striker target
While the Seiwald situation develops, Italian media have placed Newcastle as favourites to sign Christopher Nkunku from AC Milan. The 28-year-old has been told he can leave the San Siro, with Milan asking for €30m to do a deal. Aston Villa are also linked.
Nkunku scored eight goals in 35 appearances for Milan following a €37m move from Chelsea, where he had struggled to make a consistent impact across two years and 62 appearances, managing 18 goals. He was far more effective at RB Leipzig before his Chelsea move. At €30m, Milan want to recover most of their outlay.
Nkunku is not part of Ruben Amorim’s plans, and Milan are keen to shift his wages to help fund other targets, including Strasbourg’s Diego Moreira. For Newcastle, a striker of his profile would address genuine depth issues up front.
Burn ready to lead through the changes
New club captain Dan Burn is already setting the tone in the dressing room. Asked about the upheaval of a new manager, Burn was clear about his role.
‘I’ve played under a lot of managers unfortunately, so I’ve tried to take a little bit from everything, but in my experience change can be good if you put that effort into it and embrace the new change and the new philosophy, so as a club and as a city I hope that’s what we’re going to do this season,’ he said.
‘I think the younger lads are going to need a lot of support this year, so yeah, I’m hoping that the crowd can bring that.’
The crowd angle matters. Newcastle will need the backing of St James’ Park if a transitional period gets bumpy.
Munda heads out on loan, fixtures rescheduled
On the outgoing front, 19-year-old Anthony Munda has joined Swindon Town on loan for the remainder of the season, dropping into League Two for regular minutes.
On the fixture side, all four of Newcastle’s October Premier League matches have been moved for live TV coverage. Coventry City away on Monday 12 October (8pm), Aston Villa at home on Saturday 17 October (5.30pm), Crystal Palace away on Sunday 25 October (2pm), and Everton at home on Monday 2 November (8pm) are the revised slots.
The window deadline is coming fast. Whether Newcastle can move on Seiwald, contracted to Leipzig until 2028 and considered central to their plans, will test the club’s ambition and Jaissle’s pulling power in the market.