If Malick Thiaw can be "a bit more no-nonsense" then the "sky is the limit" for the Newcastle defender, says Italian football journalist Alessandro Schiavone. Earlier this week, the centre-back arrived on a £34m move from AC Milan and Schiavone believes he possesses the tools to thrive in England.

Malick Thiaw signed a long-term contract with Newcastle United on Tuesday, August 12, 2025. The 24-year-old centre-back arrives from AC Milan in a transfer valued at €35 million.

The right-back is in the final year of his contract at Newcastle, with Eddie Howe keen to keep him at St James' Park. Newcastle United outcast Odysseas Vlachodimos has touched down in Seville to undergo a medical ahead of a season-long loan deal.

Malick Thiaw's arrival on Tyneside helps ease Newcastle's frustrating transfer window. The defender seems to have been high on Eddie Howe's list of targets for some time and it is easy to see why. He is a modern defensive hybrid and possesses a rare combination of physical and technical attributes.

Malick was born in Düsseldorf, Germany on 8 August, 2001 to a Senegalese father and a Finnish mother and began playing football for his local team, TV Kalkum-Wittlaer, before playing for Fortuna Düsseldorf, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach's youth teams.

Reports in Italy confirm that Milan are finalising the last remaining documents required to complete a deal for Genoa centre-back Koni De Winter, after agreeing to sell Malick Thiaw to Premier League

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Aston Villa (kick-off 12:30 BST). Here are the key lines from his news conference: