Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle reportedly wants a reunion with Ivan Toney in January — but the Al Ahli striker's reported £500,000-a-week wages make any deal highly unlikely, with Newcastle sources already cooling the talk from Saudi Arabia.
Reports in Saudi Arabia, relayed by WinWin, claim Jaissle "definitely wants" the England international he coached at Al Ahli before succeeding Eddie Howe at St James' Park this summer. Saudi journalist Khalid Al-Shenaif went further, warning that if the move happened it would be a "major crisis" for Al Ahli — a sign of how central Toney remains to his current club.
Why Newcastle need a striker
The need is easy to see. Newcastle sold Alexander Isak to Liverpool just over a year ago and have never truly replaced his goals. Summer signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo, brought in from Lille, is yet to score in five appearances this season, while Yoane Wissa and William Osula have managed one goal each, according to the reports relayed by Football365.
Nick Woltemade, another would-be solution, is currently on loan at Juventus. For a side that beat Palace 2-0 at Selhurst Park on Sunday and face Everton tonight for a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, the lack of a reliable finisher remains the obvious ceiling on their season.
Toney, by contrast, is proven in the Premier League from his Brentford years, knows Jaissle's demands, and even has unfinished business on Tyneside — he left Newcastle as a youngster in 2018 after only a handful of senior appearances before rebuilding his career elsewhere.
So what — the wages make it a non-starter, for now
Here is where the story meets reality. As TNT Sports, citing the Chronicle, reports, Toney is under contract at Al Ahli until 2028 and earns around £500,000 a week. Newcastle's top earners average around £150,000 a week, so even a January loan would break the club's wage ceiling and prove costly.
That is why Newcastle sources are described as "staying cool" on the Saudi reports. A manager wanting his old striker is one thing; a club trebling its wage structure for a 30-year-old in mid-season is quite another. Unless Toney accepts a dramatic pay cut, or Al Ahli subsidise a loan, this stays in the realm of admiration rather than negotiation.
The timing matters too. Tonight's Everton tie, with the winner travelling to Fleetwood in the last eight after the draw, is exactly the kind of game where a clinical striker decides a tight cup tie — and exactly the kind of game that will remind Jaissle why he wants one.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Jaissle's reported wish is understandable, but it exposes the real Newcastle problem — they spent a year failing to replace Isak and are now being linked with a striker they cannot afford to pay. Wanting Toney is not a transfer strategy. Until Newcastle either back their coach with a realistic finisher or commit to the forwards they have, every window will bring the same reunion stories and the same wage reality check.
Would you break the wage structure to bring Toney back to St James' Park, or should Newcastle walk away? Let us know in the comments.
