Eddie Howe names the £35m star Newcastle United tried to sign ‘various’ times – ‘worth the wait’
Before acquiring Malick Thiaw in August, Newcastle United made a number of attempts to sign him.
Before reaching an agreement in the summer, Newcastle United made multiple attempts to sign Malick Thiaw, according to Eddie Howe.
Thiaw, who cost £35 million to acquire from AC Milan, has emerged as one of the first names on the Magpies’ roster.
However, Schar’s opportunity presented itself when he suffered a concussion during the September 18 Champions League loss to Barcelona. And Thiaw hasn’t turned back since.
When Newcastle plays West Ham United away in the Premier League this afternoon (kickoff at 2:00 pm), the 24-year-old is anticipated to start for the tenth time in a row.
Eddie Howe on the influence of Malick Thiaw at Newcastle United
“When you’ve played at the level that he’s played at for the last few seasons and also for the size of club that’s done that he’s done, you hope that he can come in and handle everything that the Premier League has to offer, that he can handle playing for Newcastle,” Howe said in response to a question about whether Thiaw had settled sooner than anticipated.
“His expertise—he has a great deal of game experience—has come through. He has been really quiet and composed off the field, but he is incredibly focused, and he has improved his performances on the training field.
“He was able to train effectively during those initial weeks when he wasn’t playing, which was important for him because he didn’t let the fact that he didn’t immediately join the team affect him. He was then able to take advantage of his opportunity when it presented itself.”
Newcastle United attempted to sign Malick Thiaw in a number of ways.
In September 2023, Newcastle faced Thiaw in a Champions League game at the San Siro, and they were linked to a transfer the following summer.
During the team’s preseason tour to Tokyo, Howe was questioned about the Thiaw connections and acknowledged that he was a “very good player.” However, that was the extent of the conversation, as United instead attempted—and failed—to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace.
The Newcastle connections didn’t resurface until July, when Thiaw turned down a move to Como 1907. It was concrete this time. They made a bargain this time.
Howe told NewcastleWorld, “Malick was a player we’d known for a long, long time and we’d tried to try and sign him in a number of different windows, and it hadn’t quite worked out.”
“There’s a lot that goes into it, and fortunately that was the case. It felt like everything might align a bit better this window in terms of his situation at his club, our need, and available funds.”
He is obviously highly regarded, so it wasn’t an easy transfer to finish, but we were happy to ward off any other suitors and land him at last. Although it seemed like a drawn-out pursuit, the wait was well worth it.
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