Newcastle United have worrying £150m problem - and Matthias Jaissle must fix it
Newcastle United have spent a fortune on new recruits - here are three players who must step up to justify their hefty price tags.
A win tonight will lift Newcastle United to seventh in the Premier League. However, while trawling the dark corners of social media, positivity is scarce.
Matthias Jaissle and the shot-callers at St James’ Park pre-warned a season of transition. Losing stars like Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes - not to mention Alexander Isak last summer - left a gaping void to fill.
In response, the Magpies turned to youth and potential in the transfer market. While the likes of Aladji Bamba and Bazoumana Toure could shine in time, the old guard must step up to lead Newcastle 2.0.
Newcastle have forked out £500million on new arrivals in just over 12 months. That is not net spend, but remains a huge pot of money to rebuild the team.
Several arrivals have failed to deliver. Now is the time to justify those hefty price tags. Here are three Newcastle players who must step up or risk being labelled as a Tyneside flop forever.
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Yoane Wissa
The black-and-white shirt can weigh heavily - especially if the No.9 is printed on the back. Newcastle stumped up almost half of the Isak money to sign Wissa despite having a £25million bid rejected earlier in the window.
This reeked of panic on day one. When he suffered a knee injury on international duty before taking part in first-team training, hysteria ensued.
That is where Wissa deserves some sympathy. His debut campaign was a write-off, with just one Premier League goal to justify his £55million price tag.
A successful World Cup and bright start to the campaign in the No.10 role - under a new manager - evoked optimism. However, Wissa has still only managed just one goal in 11 appearances this season.
His all-round demeanour in recent weeks has been concerning. Newcastle need their No.9 to start replicating his Brentford form.
Jacob Ramsey
A neat and tidy footballer, but is that what £40million buys Newcastle these days? Some might argue they do not know Ramsey’s best position 15 months after his arrival.
The 25-year-old spent a lot of his time for Aston Villa on the left flank. Newcastle have used Ramsey predominantly as a No.8, either as a three under Eddie Howe or as a two now Jaissle is in charge.
Never once has Ramsey looked like a player who is a shoo-in to start every week. That in itself is worrying given the lack of quality in the current United setup.
Now free from injury, these next few months should be his stage to perform. It certainly feels like we are entering a defining period of his Newcastle career.
Anthony Elanga
Perhaps this is a tad too harsh given how good Elanga looked before his recent injury. But two Premier League goals this season do not erase the year-long barren spell Newcastle fans witnessed in his debut campaign.
Like Wissa, Elanga was supposed to be a plug-and-play signing due to his top-flight credentials. He was a menace for Nottingham Forest - as the Magpies discovered on Boxing Day in 2023.
The right-wing position is Elanga’s to lose. His pace appears tailor-made for Jaissle’s vertical football philosophy.
As for Wissa, patience is wearing thin. But there has been plenty of promise in 2026-27 that Elanga can become a key asset at St James’ Park.
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