Full transcript of our Newcastle United Q&A as we answered your questions

Newcastle United's transition from the squad Eddie Howe had built to the new-look outfit under Matthias Jaissle was never going to be easy. Everyone at the club, and many watching on from outside, have acknowledged that it will take time for things to slot into place.

We've seen as much on the pitch, with Newcastle at times looking electric on the counter attack, and at others appearing to be toothless while shipping chance after chance at the other end.

Jaissle remains confident he has a group of players who will get things right, but there are plenty of talking points both off and on the pitch.

How United line up, the progress of the summer signings, and what is happening with the stadium plans were some of the major themes in our recent NUFC Q&A.

Here's the full transcript of what was asked, and how Sean McCormick answered.

Which Newcastle player would be best suited to the No 10 role from the current squad - and why didn't they buy one in the summer?

Sean McCormick: It is the million dollar question and the truthful - and worrying - answer is it looks like a system built around a number 10 without a natural one in the squad.

I would caveat that with both Joe Willock and Yoane Wissa have performed well in the role this season and cover huge distances and carry the ball forward well which suits Matthias Jaissle's philosophy.

Jaissle was asked in yesterday's press conference if he has a number 10 in the mould he would like and he sort of skirted around the issues suggesting his approach is flexible in terms of the positions of his players and it is more about players matching his principles than fitting a specific system.

What was perhaps jarring was that we expected Newcastle's final signing of the window to be a 'number 10' and there was a feeling initially that Matias Fernandez-Pardo was being signed in that mould.

However, it quickly became apparent once I started talking to sources in France that not only had Fernandez-Pardo ended the season as a number nine for Lille, he actually saw that as his favoured position.

I think it was an oversight not to sign a natural number 10 in the summer and, for the timebeing, I think you will see a mixture of Wissa, Willock and perhaps Fernandez-Pardo or even Joelinton in the role if Jaissle persists with the 4-2-3-1 system.

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Why is it year on year our players have so many injuries and lengthy spells on the treatment table?

SM: I would be lying if I didn't say Newcastle's injury situation before the international break was not a concern. We were sat in the press box ahead of the Hull City game and it felt like a conveyor belt of academy players entering the stadium with five under-21s called up to the first team squad in the absence of nine senior players.

Newcastle have a number of those players returning to fitness now and the hope is that it was a case of bad luck and not something more systemic that Jaissle and performance director James Bunce need to arrest.

The injury situation in the 2023/24 season was unprecedented and Bunce's arrival has brought that back into line. Newcastle's injury situation in Europe last season did become stretched at times but it was a marked improvement from two years previously.

Impact injuries cannot be helped but if muscular and soft tissue injuries begin to take hold then fingers can be pointed at how the schedules are managed. I think you have to give Jaissle and Newcastle the benefit of the doubt for now in that regard, particularly as the performance staff who were already at the club continue to get to know and understand the demands of Jaissle and his coaching staff.

Should we get to the November international break with a similar injury list unfolding then I think that is when you have to take a look at the situation and doing better to control the controllables around the training ground.

I know he's only young but do you think Newcastle have repeated their Nick Woltemade mistake with Matias Fernandez-Pardo?

SM: We are only six weeks into Fernandez-Pardo's career at Newcastle and three of those were spent away on international duty with Belgium.

Monday was a frustrating evening. He did well to get into the positions but he looked to lack the killer instinct in front of goal. If we are looking at comparisons, I think Fernandez-Pardo's profile fits more with the Anthony Gordon forward experiment last season.

The England international was considered the best forward option for Eddie Howe's philosophy but it was clear his attributes were better used on the wing.

Fernandez-Pardo is explosive, he has an incredible turn of pace and I think his running power is something Newcastle can utilise. He's young, has huge potential, but he looks really raw and I think Newcastle need to nail down his best position quickly or it could turn into a Woltemade situation.

Woltemade started like a house on fire last season but his confidence quickly waned and the second half of last season was spent trying to shoehorn him into a side that he no longer fitted.

I think Fernandez-Pardo will be a slow burner but there are some encouraging signs and the message from Newcastle - both from Matthias Jaissle and above - is that they are not overly concerned about his start just yet.

Why has Aladji Bamba barely played so far - paid millions for him?

SM: Jaissle has urged for patience when it comes to Bamba and Bazoumana Toure and for them to adapt to life in England. There is merit in that argument given how young both players are.

But when you spend £34.5million on a midfield player you would expect them to be able to contribute straight away and for whatever reason Jaissle - who has given him just 27 minutes of football - doesn't think he is able to.

You don't want to write a young player off this quickly but equally it is hard to see where he fits into this side right now. If the manager persists with the 4-2-3-1 formation, and continues to play Joe Willock in a deeper role, then Newcastle effectively have seven players for two positions and Bamba is at the back of the queue.

When you consider Newcastle have Nico Gonzalez, Lewis Miley, Sean Steur, Jacob Ramsey, Joelinton and Willock all currently ahead of him it does beg the question why the Magpies spent so much money on Bamba, even if his potential is undoubtedly high.

I think there will have to be serious thought into how they manage his situation the longer it goes on without him getting a sniff of action and potentially look at a loan move in January.

In the meantime, as I wrote in piece earlier this week, the under-21s have two big games coming up against Sunderland u21s at St James' Park in 10 days' time and the EFL Trophy decider away to League Two Rotherham United on November 3, where Bamba could get some meaningful minutes in the tank.

He has also played for France's under-21s this season where he got some game time and should Newcastle beat the Millers the EFL Trophy knockout tie would also provide another opportunity for him to play.

But the fact the under-21s is even being considered as a positive step in his development after a big money summer move raises more questions than answers, even if we are still in the early stages of the season.

Could Newcastle sell any players in January?

Newcastle were pretty happy with their squad after the summer transfer window but you can't rule out any January sales and there are two players who immediately spring to mind.

Nick Pope is an obvious candidate to leave in the winter transfer window. The England international goalkeeper was told in the summer he was surplus to requirements but there was no serious interest.

Since then, he has assumed the position of third choice goalkeeper in the Magpies squad but in the wake of Ewen Jaouen's injury he has been on the bench for the last five games and will continue to be involved in the matchday squads until the French youngster returns.

Pope has had interest from Bayern Munich in recent weeks and the 34-year-old's contract runs out in the summer. It is in everybody's interest for a solution to be reached in the winter window.

The other situation to look out for is Joe Willock's. While talk of a new contract for Jacob Murphy has increased in recent days, Newcastle are no further forward in tying down Willock's future, despite both players being out of contract in the summer.

Jaissle loves Willock and the former Arsenal youngster has scored three goals and been involved in every match so far this season. Newcastle batted away serious interest from Besiktas in the summer and their president bullishly claimed earlier this month that he will sign the 27-year-old, whether it is in January or in the summer.

Should there not be a breakthrough on Willock's contract talks then naturally Newcastle will have to look at potentially selling him in January or risk losing him for free next summer at the end of his contract.

There could be more players whose futures begin to look unclear the closer we get to the January transfer window but right now, they are the two clear candidates if Newcastle are to sell any players in the winter window.

Why are we still waiting for any answer over the new stadium? Other sides are now catching up and we're still waiting

I understand the frustration with the stadium and, trust me, we are pushing for answers. It feels like a long time since there was expected to be an update in early 2025 and I suspect we won't get a firm update on it before the end of 2026.

David Hopkinson has remained tight lipped around the stadium decision. Work is ongoing as they decide whether to revamp St James' Park or build a new ground but the CEO's last on the record update in La Manga said it wouldn't be helpful to add to the speculation until there has been a meaningful breakthrough.

"You guys (journalists) are dogged, your constituents want to know," he said. "And we want our stakeholders to know. But in the moment, as we're trying to conclude a transaction, is not the moment to tell people, 'Here's what we're trying to do'.

"Being fully transparent about what we wanted to do with Leazes Terrace would have been diametrically opposed to being able to actually conclude that deal.

"We're going to buy some land for our future training ground, and getting really granular on what we pay and where it is wouldn't be helpful. We want to be transparent, but that doesn't mean we can invite everyone into every part of the strategy."

But the point you make is important. Newcastle are making great strides commercially but the gap between themselves and the big six clubs in terms of commercial revenue remains a chasm.

Hopkinson has secured a new kit sponsor, a training ground sponsor, a training kit sponsor amid many other deals he has described as 'self help' but it does feel like the real driver of bridging that gap is increasing the revenue streams from their stadium.

Tottenham are the best in class at that and that is why they were able to spend the best part of half a billion pounds in the summer despite finishing 17th for back-to-back seasons.

When I spoke to football finance expert Kieran Maguire about this issue in the summer he effectively said if Newcastle want to be competing consistently for Champions League football - as Hopkinson's 2030 vow suggests they do - they have to move to a new stadium that allows them to be more commercially flexible.

"Spurs are very good at what they do," Maguire told me. "And what they are very good at doing is being an entertainment complex. That's how I'd describe them. Whereas Newcastle United is a football club."

Clearly, that stadium decision needs to be right, which is why the club are carefully deliberating over it. Getting it right will determine their path over the next 10 years. But they also cannot allow too much time to pass by where the gap grows bigger and bigger.