Matthias Jaissle praised the versatility of Newcastle United deadline day signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo as the head coach cautioned the forward will need time to adapt to the Premier League.
Fernandez-Pardo became Newcastle’s eighth signing of a transfer window that saw their squad undergo a substantial revamp as they agreed a £51million deal with Lille to sign the Belgium international on a five-year deal.
The 21-year-old has can play as a number nine, a number 10 and on both wings, and it is that flexibility that Jaissle, who is unbeaten in his first three games after replacing Eddie Howe in August, appears to value most.
Previewing Bournemouth’s visit on Saturday, Jaissle said: “We worked hard on the deal, finalised it in the last hours and we’re really pleased.
“For a young age, he is already showing a lot of strength on the pitch. His physical levels are really strong for our idea of how we want to play football.
“That speed up front can cause many problems. He is versatile, which gives us the freedom to adjust from match to match. This is something I like as a coach, that we are flexible.”
Fernandez-Pardo has not played 90 minutes in a game since his final match for Lille on May 17.
As such, Jaissle indicated Newcastle may have to build up his minutes, and believes patience will be needed with Fernandez-Pardo and several of their summer signings, all of whom are 24 or under.
“He is fit and training with us,” Jaissle added. “It has been a while since he played a full 90 minutes so it is also, for a young lad, important to adapt towards our intensity in training but also in the Premier League.
“We will have a close eye on him and be smart with the load management.
“With these signings, with young players, they need time. They need time to adapt. Yes, there are players [who] adapted now really fast, but there will be ups and downs with young players. This is something we know and we will support them in the lows, but also the highs.
“We have a squad with huge potential and, therefore, we are really happy.”
Jaissle confident Woltemade can shine at Juventus
As Fernandez-Pardo arrived, another forward left St. James’ Park, with Nick Woltemade joining Juventus on a season-long loan.
Woltemade signed Newcastle in a club-record deal worth £69million, but the Germany international has struggled to cement a role in the side after initially making a red-hot start to his career on Tyneside.
But Jaissle has high hopes Woltemade can excel in Turin.
“I really appreciate Nick as a player, for his quality on the pitch but I also appreciate him as a human being,” said Jaissle.
“We always have good conversations, really honest conversations and he has decided now to take another challenge. Hopefully, it goes well.
“I’m really optimistic that he will shine there, he will score a lot of goals there for sure. He’s still our player so, therefore, we will make sure we stay in close contact.”
The Newcastle boss also addressed rumours from Denmark that striker Will Osula, who has missed the last two games with a foot injury sustained in the season opener with Liverpool, is facing an extended absence.
Jaissle said: “I don’t know if the Danish journalists have more information than I have, I doubt it.”
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