Newcastle United are now less than a week away from their new Premier League season getting underway with a tough lunchtime trip to Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.
The Magpies’ last friendly outing before the competitiveness of the top flight kicks back in saw Eddie Howe’s side lose 2-0 to Atletico Madrid on home turf, with the defeat stinging that little bit more when Anthony Gordon hobbled off with a worrying knock.
Thankfully, it has since been revealed that the ex-Everton winger only sustained a twisted ankle, meaning he should be fine for the bumper list of games ahead.
He won’t be joined by Alexander Isak for the opener at Villa Park, with Newcastle continuing to state that their superstar Swede is not for sale, even as interest from Liverpool persists.
However, away from this ongoing Isak saga, a new face could soon pull on the Toon black and white in the West Midlands.
Newcastle agree terms with £35m star
Howe does have some Isak replacements up his sleeve.
It has been widely reported now that the Tyneside outfit have hit-and-miss Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson in mind to enhance their attacking personnel, alongside the Premier League side further keeping tabs on Porto attacking sensation Samu Aghehowa.
However, away from targets up top, Newcastle are edging ever closer to signing a new face at the back.
Indeed, the services of £35m-rated AC Milan centre-back Malick Thiaw are set to be sealed in the forthcoming days.
Sky Sports’ Keith Downie has revealed, via X, that the Toon are on the verge of sealing a deal for the Germany international, who is travelling to St James’ Park on Sunday night and is set to undergo a medical on Monday morning ahead of signing.
It’s reported that Newcastle have agreed a fee of £30m plus £4.3m in add-ons.
Newcastle might well hit the jackpot with the 24-year-old in the same way they struck gold with Sandro Tonali, with the 5-foot-11 midfielder now a Premier League under Howe’s wing, after initially making waves in Italy.
How Thiaw can be Tonali 2.0
Tonali was a landmark addition for the PIF project at Newcastle, remarkably costing even more than Thiaw at a hefty £55m. Still, there are no lingering regrets from Newcastle’s perspective about that bumper deal, as the Italian heads into his third straight Toon season this upcoming campaign.
The 25-year-old enforcer closed out his celebrated time at the San Siro with Milan by registering seven goals and 13 assists from the midfield ranks, with that same drive to push forward and join in with attacks following him to St James’ Park.
Last season, in particular, saw Tonali come into his own donning the famous Toon strip, with six goals and three assists tallied up in all competitions as a livewire presence, which was matched by his relentless energy to win 4.9 ball recoveries per Premier League outing.
Howe has even gone as far as to compare his 25-year-old to the likes of San Siro great Andrea Pirlo for his stylish displays.
Now, in a repeat of that Tonali move – bringing in a player from Milan – Thiaw will be hopeful that he can follow in the Italian’s footsteps by being a similar whirlwind success on English shores.
|
Thiaw at Milan |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stat (* = per game) |
22/23 |
23/24 |
24/25 |
|
Games played |
20 |
21 |
22 |
|
Goals scored |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
Touches* |
60.9 |
65.4 |
66.2 |
|
Accurate passes* |
46.4 (88%) |
51.4 (92%) |
53.5 (94%) |
|
Tackles* |
1.6 |
1.6 |
1.1 |
|
Interceptions* |
0.6 |
0.6 |
0.7 |
|
Total duels won* |
4.6 |
4.1 |
3.7 |
|
Clean sheets |
5 |
5 |
7 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
|||
Much like Tonali before him, Thiaw has grown into a comfortable and complete performer for Milan as he matures, having just completed a season in the hustle and bustle of the Serie A where he averaged an unerring 94% pass accuracy per game.
He might well be able to offer Howe something fresh and different at the back, therefore, away from over-relying on the ageing duo of Dan Burn and Fabian Schar, with Thiaw also held in high regard at ex-employers Schalke when dubbed as a “calm and collected” presence by former boss Christian Gross.
It will, of course, be a leap into the unknown for the rising German, having become used to the rhythms of the Italian top-flight.
Yet, Tonali arrived with similar hype attached to his name from Italy and has passed all his examinations with flying colours. Thiaw will hope he has a similarly straightforward ride ahead, having also been hailed as “top-class” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.
