Jaissle names Wissa captain as Newcastle seal fifth straight unbeaten result at Millwall

Matthias Jaissle marked Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup third-round trip to Millwall’s The Den by handing DR Congo striker Yoane Wissa the captain’s armband, a selection call that spoke volumes about the club’s direction under their new German head coach. The result extended Newcastle’s unbeaten run to five matches — a streak the club had not managed since April 2025.

Jaissle’s choice to overlook veterans Fabian Schar and Jacob Murphy, who have been at the club for eight and nine years respectively, in favour of the £55 million forward was, as the manager might acknowledge, a small decision in the context of a third-round cup tie. In the broader picture of a club in transition, however, it carried real weight.

Wissa’s contribution was a mixed one. Eight minutes in, he sprinted back to snuff out a Millwall counter-attack and won a free-kick in the process — a moment that illustrated the more engaged, alert version of the player Newcastle have seen this season compared to the one who arrived 372 days ago. He was largely ineffectual beyond that, though, and was substituted on 62 minutes.

Newcastle have not been dominant in this early run. Liverpool left St. James’ Park with a point on the opening weekend, and AFC Bournemouth also took a share of the spoils from Tyneside despite having led 2-0. The defensive record is a concern, with the Magpies conceding twice against Liverpool, Bournemouth, and West Bromwich Albion in the Carabao Cup second round.

Still, results are coming, and the squad has a different feel to it. The departure of players who had, by most accounts, mentally checked out before the season ended, combined with an influx of younger faces, has shifted the atmosphere around the club. Joe Willock, who could have left in the summer window as £70 million Nick Woltemade did, now finds himself operating in a front two under Jaissle’s system.

With newly-promoted Hull City and Coventry City among Newcastle’s next three fixtures — sandwiched around a harder test at Leeds United’s Elland Road — the unbeaten run has a realistic chance of growing before it faces a sterner examination.