Jaissle shrugs off Manzambi saga as Villa midfielder returns for Newcastle clash

Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle said he will not linger on Johan Manzambi’s missed move to Tyneside as the Swiss midfielder returns to face the club this Saturday. Manzambi appeared set for a transfer to Newcastle over the summer, but Aston Villa swooped in and signed the 21‑year‑old. He opened the scoring in Villa’s 6‑0 Champions League demolition of Fenerbahçe earlier in the week. Jaissle, who took over after Eddie Howe, praised Manzambi as “a really good player” but declined to discuss rumours, insisting the focus must stay on his own squad. The coach added that Newcastle must improve after a 4‑1 loss at Coventry on Monday. Joelinton is poised for his first start of the season on Saturday, while Dan Burn is likely to remain on the bench. Anthony Elanga and Jacob Ramsey are expected to return to light training next week. ## Other Premier League News The weekend also sees all four English clubs that featured in Europe play each other on Sunday – Bournemouth v Sunderland and Brighton v Crystal Palace – while Scottish sides Hearts and Celtic meet after their European outings. Table‑topping Manchester City host Ipswich, and second‑placed Arsenal travel to Nottingham Forest. Fulham host Hull and Spurs visit Coventry on Monday. A quirky note asks whether more running leads to more wins, hinting at a mixed answer. ## Context Transfer talks often flare up in the summer, but coaches like Jaissle prefer to keep the squad’s preparation front‑and‑centre, especially ahead of a busy fixture list that mixes domestic league games with European commitments.