How Newcastle can bring Jaissle’s next Ivan Toney to St James’ Park

Newcastle United supporters were hit with incredibly surprising news when it was revealed that Eddie Howe was leaving the club after the best part of five years on Tyneside.

The English head coach, who won the League Cup for the Magpies, opted to move on from St. James’ Park to take a break from the game in the coming months.

Thankfully, the club have been able to move quickly to hire Mathhias Jaissle as his successor, joining from Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ahli this summer.

The German tactician will now take over the recruitment process for the remainder of the transfer window, and it will be interesting to see who he decides to bring in.

The type of striker Jaissle may want at Newcastle

Jaissle may want to add a more physical centre-forward to this ranks, for example, before the window slams shut, as he brought in Ivan Toney for his team in Saudi Arabia.

The England international joined the Saudi side in 2024 from Brentford and racked up a staggering return of 32 goals in 32 matches for the new Magpies boss in the 2025/26 Pro League season.

Nick Woltemade was the marquee addition to the attack last summer, joining from Stuttgart for £69m, and he only scored eight times in 33 matches in the Premier League in his debut year in England.

Aside from the goal returns, one of the eye-catching differences between Toney and Woltemade is how they compete with opposition centre-backs and win duels on the ground and in the air.

Jaissle, therefore, may want the club to go and bring in a striker who can offer more strength and physicality to the number nine role in the Premier League this season.

Newcastle eyeing move for their own Ivan Toney

Now, the recruitment team are already said to be looking at a player who could fit the bill for the German boss as his next version of Toney on Tyneside.

Journalist Ben Jacobs told talkSPORT that Newcastle United are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign Chelsea centre-forward Liam Delap this summer.

The reporter claimed that the Magpies and Everton both have long-standing, historical, interest in the attacker and could be alert if he becomes available.

Jacobs explained that the arrival of Danny Welbeck at Stamford Bridge could push the former Ipswich star towards the exit door, whilst reports elsewhere have suggested that a fee of £40m will be enough to prise him away from the Blues.

The 23-year-old striker would be the kind of player Jaissle wants in the number nine position because he is an aggressive player who can hold the ball up, duel with defenders, and cause constant problems for the opposition.

His time at Chelsea, clearly, has not gone to plan. Delap only scored two goals in 41 appearances in all competitions last season, but he should not be written off because of his struggles last term.

In the 2024/25 campaign with Ipswich, the English forward showed that he does have both the quality and the physicality to shine in the Premier League, but he was not given the platform to showcase the best version of himself at Stamford Bridge.

He won 1.3 more duels per game than Woltemade did last season and won a higher percentage of his duels in the air, which suggests that the £40m-rated star would be far more suited to Jaissle’s style of play.

Delap can hold the ball up, win flick-ons, and hold off strong Premier League centre-backs on a regular basis, which is something that Woltemade has yet to prove that he can do.

On top being a fantastic physical outlet for the Tractor Boys that season, the striker also scored 12 goals from 9.34 xG, suggesting that he can be a clinical and reliable marksman when he is on-form and confident.

It is now down to the board to strike a deal with Chelsea for the English attacker so that he can be Jaissle’s starting centre-forward for the new season, as he has the Toney-esque physicality that the German boss may want in his forward line.