‘Wasn’t an easy transfer’ – Newcastle boss Howe lifts lid on €40m Thiaw pursuit

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has offered a bit of background on the pursuit of Malick Thiaw, who he claims was hard to sign.

Thiaw joined Newcastle from Milan in the summer window for €40m, and the general consensus was that the Rossoneri management got a more than adequate fee for a player who had largely been inconsistent in his years at San Siro.

Due to the presence of Fabian Schar and Dan Burn, the German had to be patient and wait for Howe to give him opportunities. However, a concussion for the former gave him a moment to shine, and he grabbed it with both hands.

The 24-year-old has made 10 starts in a row and has become a bedrock of Newcastle’s defence, one that is admittedly struggling as they languish in the bottom half of the table. They conceded three times to relegation-threatened West Ham on Sunday.

‘A player we’d known for a long, long time’

NewcastleWorld relayed some comments from Howe on the impact that Thiaw has made, starting with whether he has settled quicker than expected.

“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 he has 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,” he said.

“His experience – he’s got really good experience in the game – has shone through. Off the pitch, he’s been very, very calm, quite quiet, but very, very focused, and on the training pitch is where he’s elevated his performances.

Photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images

“He trained really well in those early weeks when he wasn’t playing and that was crucial for him, that he didn’t let the fact he didn’t go straight into the team affect him and then when he got his opportunity, he was able to take it.

“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. 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.”