‘Wow… incredible’ - Malick Thiaw reveals Newcastle United’s secret weapon in transfer talks
Malick Thiaw has spoken about Newcastle United’s trophy celebrations that took place while he was still an AC Milan player.
Malick Thiaw has admitted Newcastle United’s 300,000-strong turnout for the Carabao Cup celebrations contributed to his summer switch.
A long-term target, Eddie Howe finally landed his man in August. Toon chiefs stumped up a reported £32million to sign the German from AC Milan.
Thiaw has arguably been Newcastle’s best player this season and, alongside his compatriot Nick Woltemade, the pick of the summer signings. In an otherwise underwhelming start to the Toon campaign, the 24-year-old - recalled to the Germany squad during the recent international break - has been a rare highlight.
Malick Thiaw blown away by Carabao Cup party
Speaking to the club’s matchday programme, Thiaw revealed how the fervent Carabao Cup trophy celebrations impacted his decision. A wave of black and white descended on the city centre to commemorate Newcastle breaking their 70-year curse.
The party continued at the Town Moor, with Thiaw paying close attention to Sandro Tonali’s social media. Thiaw said: “I follow Sandro Tonali on social media. I saw it was crazy. When I came here, I saw more images, it was incredible. How many people, 300,000? Wow. Incredible. I saw the picture when all the fans were on the car park to see the team.
“When you look throughout my career, I played for two traditional clubs. Obviously, I wanted to continue in this way/ When I saw Newcastle - I knew already they were traditional and had big fans. But of course, when you see a picture like this and see how loved the players are, obviously it played a role in my decision.”
Eddie Howe’s fear over Malick Thiaw
Eddie Howe told reporters last month that he feared missing out on Thiaw. He said: “Yes, to a degree. I was sort of fearful through the summer because there wasn't a long, long list of players that we felt were good enough to come in and have the impact that Malick has.
“Obviously, he was at a top club as well, so whether he was ever going to be available was unclear. Then if he was available, was there going to be someone else that would be able to get him ahead of us?
“Thankfully, that wasn't the case and we were able to secure his signature. I think he was an important signing for us.”
Eddie Howe praises Malick Thiaw
On his impressive start, Howe added: “I think, if you ask Malick, I'd say he had to be a little bit patient at the start. Dan (Burn) and Fabian (Schar) started the season very, very well in the centre-half positions, and he had a period where he had the opportunity to watch and see the Premier League and see the speed of the Premier League, which I always think is helpful before you enter it.
“Those early games against Aston Villa and Liverpool were probably the best example you can get of the Premier League's bite, really. As a centre-half, in particular, you can't come on cold, so I think they were useful experiences for him.
“Then he trained really well. I think that's always the big thing for me. If you're training well behind the scenes and not playing, you know that when that opportunity comes, you can grab it.
“He kept himself mentally fresh, alert and ready. Then when he's played, I think he's just been himself. He's an outstanding talent. He's got a little bit of everything in his game. I've been really pleased with how he started here.”