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It's sacking season in the Premier League, but for now, it looks like Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle is safe from the axe.
PIF have been calm about the Toon's situation, struggling for form and fluency as a unit after last year's startling collapse under Eddie Howe. Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League last season, and then saw their crisis deepen as their superstars all fled.
Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes
Losing Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes has proved damaging for the Magpies, but there's a strong case to be made that the record-breaking sale of Alexander Isak to Liverpool one year before cut deeper than all the exits of 2026.
Why Newcastle are still suffering from Isak sale
Described as "one of the hottest strikers in the world" by The Athletic's Chris Waugh back in 2024, Isak became a force of nature across three years in England with Newcastle, scoring so many goals and playing a leading role for a Champions League club who won the Carabao Cup in 2025. Isak scored in that one, defeating Liverpool ast Wembley, months before his move to Anfield.
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Premier League Top Scorers (22/23 - 25/26)
Player
Erling Haaland
Mohamed Salah
Ollie Watkins
Alexander Isak
Bryan Mbeumo
Liverpool paid £125m, a British record, to sign the 27-year-old, and though he hasn't enjoyed the same kind of success with the Reds thus far, there's no forgetting his world-class performances under Howe's wing.
Admittedly, Newcastle could have done more in attempting to replace their former talisman. Last summer, Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa arrived for expensive fees, and neither has cut the mustard in attack for the Toon.
Isak offered so much more than any of his successors in attack for Newcastle over the past season-and-a-bit. However, though Jaissle and co can't do anything than work with the forwards at their disposal right now, they could find the club's best player since Isak residing in the ranks.
He now needs to start playing.
Newcastle's biggest talent since Isak is sat warming the bench
Newcastle might not have the sharpest frontline in the Premier League, but their issues are not restricted to blunt attacking play. Jaissle's side lack dynamism when on the ball, struggling to create and sustain attacks while restricting their opponents' attempts at goal.
It's clear that midfielders such as Joelinton, Joe Willock and Nico Gonzalez are struggling to gel right now - so why not unleash Sean Steur as a secret weapon from the middle of the pitch?
Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
Steur, a £23m signing from Ajax, preceded Jaissle's arrival this summer, with Howe recognising the 18-year-old's potential to grow into the shoes vacated by the likes of Tonali and Guimaraes.
He established himself across 14 Eredivisie starts last season, and now looks ready to play a prominent role for a Newcastle side who cry out for his skillset but fail to award him the consistency he needs to acclimatise to the Premier League.
So far for Newcastle, Jaissle has determined to ease Steur into the thick of things, but this clearly needs to stop. Steur clearly needs to take up a central role in an outfit struggling to find their way.
Is it any surprise that Steur stood out when unleashed from the start during the recent 1-1 draw against Fulham? He completed 95% of his passes while never ceasing to seek openings in promising positions. It's early days yet, but the young Dutchman has the look of a rising superstar who could end up outstripping all those around him.
The sooner Jaissle recognises that he has an Isak-esque focal point at his disposal, albeit from a different tactical standpoint, the better Newcastle will do as they struggle to find a way to counter a spate of sales which has drowned the club's title-challenging aspirations in the short term.
REUTERS/Lee Smith
Steur might be young, but we need only hark back to that performance against Hull to see that he has the technicality and natural fire in his belly to make his mark and become the difference-maker in a Newcastle side crying out for a talisman.