Eddie Howe pre-West Ham press conference
Newcastle United latest news: Malick Thiaw has starred since joining from AC Milan this summer.
Eddie Howe has revealed that Newcastle United had made ‘various attempts’ to sign Malick Thiaw before eventually sealing a deal to sign the defender this summer. Thiaw first emerged as a potential target for the Magpies last summer as they sought to strengthen their back line.
Ultimately, they would prioritise a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, one that they failed to pull off, leaving Thiaw to spend another season at the San Siro. When Thiaw again appeared on their reported shortlist this summer, it seemed that they may have missed an opportunity to secure his signature after Como had agreed a fee with Milan for the German.
However, Thiaw rejected the chance to join Cesc Fabregas’ side and, eventually, made the switch to St James’ Park for £35m. After having to be patient to make his first start for the Magpies, Thiaw hasn’t looked back and has put in a string of impressive performances alongside both Sven Botman and, most recently, Fabian Schar.
Eddie Howe ‘delighted’ with Malick Thiaw transfer
Those performances mean that Thiaw is now one of the first names on Howe’s teamsheet and the head coach spoke openly about the process of finally completing a move for the 24-year-old: “Malick was a player we'd known for a long, long time and we'd made various attempts to try and sign him and it hadn't quite worked out in previous windows,” Howe revealed.
“This window, it felt like everything might align a bit better in terms of his situation at his club, our need, available funds, there's a lot that goes into it and thankfully that was the case.
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“It wasn't an easy transfer to complete. He's obviously very highly rated but I think I said a couple of weeks ago we were delighted to see off any other suitors and finally get him.
“It felt like a long pursuit but certainly worth the wait.”
Thiaw’s impressive start to life on Tyneside means Howe now faces a big dilemma on who to partner him with in the heart of defence. Botman has been the preferred option so far this season, but Schar’s impressive performance in midweek has certainly given him a headache.
Asked about that exact dilemma ahead of their clash with West Ham, Howe responded: “I think it's the type of decision, I'm not going to talk about necessarily that one specifically, but other choices that I have. For every ten people you ask, you probably get five go one way, five go the other and unfortunately I'm the guy that has to make the final decision.
“But that's the beauty or not so beautiful side of being a football manager. You have to make very difficult decisions but you have to make one and then you have to stick with it.
“Team selection I think, is always the hardest call because you're having to disappoint people that you really love and you really rate and you really don't want to do that, so that's one of the most difficult parts of the job.
“But I always do it with the best intentions and that's to help the team win.”
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