Malick Thiaw has put pen to paper on a long-term deal at Newcastle United, ending the wait for a quality young defender on Tyneside.
While Alexander Isak’s refusal to be reintegrated into the first-team squad stole the headlines throughout the day, Malick Thiaw gave Newcastle United fans something to celebrate when his move from AC Milan was confirmed.
The 24-year-old joins the Magpies off the back of a positive season with the Serie A side, helping them win the Supercoppa Italia earlier this year. Thiaw is set to be a big part of Newcastle’s upcoming Champions League campaign, a competition he has vast experience at a young age.
In his first interview with the club, Thiaw shared the movie Goal! as his first exposure to Newcastle, and he now has a chance to follow in Santiago Munez’s footsteps by becoming a hero on Tyneside.
Thiaw is in line to make his Newcastle debut against Aston Villa on Saturday, where fans will be exposed to five qualities listed by the player in his first interview with the club.
Malick Thiaw juggles a football during his Newcastle United unveiling.
Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images
Malick Thiaw lists his best attributes after joining Newcastle United
Thiaw will take the No.12 at Newcastle, a number that became available after Jamal Lewis was released earlier this summer.
In his announcement, Howe shared that Thiaw was a long-term target and is someone who will be able to improve for many years on Tyneside.
Fans are excited to see their new signing in the black and white stripes for the first time, and Thiaw gave them a small taste of what to expect in his first interview as a Newcastle player.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
When asked to name attributes of his game, Thiaw said: “I think I’m a modern centre-back, I’m quite good on the ball, a good defender… obviously, I’m tall, and I have physicality.”
Thiaw joins the likes of Sven Botman and Dan Burn on the list of towering defenders at Newcastle. It is clear that Howe likes his centre-backs to have great stature and the ability to win aerial duels.
Malick Thiaw’s statistics last season after Newcastle United move
Following Thiaw’s arrival, Newcastle are hopeful of signing Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey ahead of their first Premier League game on Saturday, coincidentally against the Villains.
Ramsey will cost Newcastle around £40million, with personal terms not believed to be an issue.
2024/25 League statistics Malick Thiaw
Appearances 22
Minutes 1803
Tackles/90 1.1
Clearances/90 3.5
Aerial duels won/90 2.2
Fans could see Thiaw and Ramsey play together for Newcastle on Saturday if they can get a deal for the latter done in time, but they are facing a race against the clock.
At Newcastle, Thiaw has a great opportunity to establish himself as one of the top defenders in the Premier League, and play much more often than he did in Milan. The German international only made 63 league appearances for Milan over three years, so he will be keen on playing much more with the Magpies.