Sandro Tonali delivers 'big' Newcastle United verdict after £35m transfer completed
Malick Thiaw and Sandro Tonali were teammates at AC Milan before reuniting at Newcastle United.
Malick Thiaw has revealed what Sandro Tonali told him about Newcastle United immediately after joining.
Two years after Tonali arrived from AC Milan for £55million, Thiaw followed his former club teammate to St James’ Park.
The Magpies had tracked the German centre-back for a while before finalising a £35m deal in the week leading up to the Premier League opener away to Aston Villa.
Thiaw had to wait for his opportunity initially but after replacing Fabian Schar as a second-half substitute in the 2-1 defeat to Barcelona on September 18 has started all 12 games since.
His performances have seen him quickly establish himself as a fans’ favourite on Tyneside, as well as return to the Germany national squad for the first time since 2023.
Malick Thiaw ‘happy’ with decision to join Newcastle United
Earlier in the summer, Thiaw turned down a move to Milan’s Serie A rivals Como 1907 in favour of either staying at the San Siro or joining a club that competed in Europe.
Reflecting on his decision to join Newcastle, Thiaw told Pianeta Milan: “I decided to go to Newcastle and I am happy with that. Milan are a big club, so it was difficult, but in my view it was the right moment to try something new. So I listened to the proposal from Newcastle and in the end I said yes.
“I had three good years at Milan, but at the end I didn’t really play that much. Allegri told me that I would’ve had a chance this season, but I wanted to try something different.”
What Sandro Tonali told Malick Thiaw about Newcastle United
Thiaw played alongside Tonali at Milan for one season before the latter moved to Newcastle. The former Schalke 04 man says he didn’t speak to Tonali in the build-up to his transfer, but revealed what he said when it was made official.
“No, I didn’t speak to him when I was in Milan,” Thiaw revealed. “When I arrived in England, he explained Newcastle is a big city, the team is big, ok not like Milan, but… it’s cute, and the fans are incredible. It’s hard to say which fans are more passionate, I mean the Milan fans are incredible.”
Newcastle United made several attempts to sign Malick Thiaw before sealing deal
Speaking to NewcastleWorld earlier this month, Howe revealed he made several attempts to sign Thiaw before finally getting a deal across the line.
“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 explained.
“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.
“It wasn't an easy transfer to complete, he's obviously very highly rated, but we were delighted to see off any other suitors and finally get him. It felt like a long pursuit but certainly worth the wait.”