Newcastle United have completed the signing of Malick Thiaw from AC Milan, but how do you say his name?
A tough summer full of massive missed targets and the draining Alexander Isak saga has got a little bit brighter as Newcastle United have confirmed their fourth signing of the summer.
Newcastle have signed Malick Thiaw from AC Milan, paying an initial £30m in a deal that could rise by a further £4.3m if certain add-on clauses are met.
Eddie Howe has been desperate to sign a new centre-back for well over a year, due to the advancing ages of Fabian Schar and Dan Burn, as well as Sven Botman’s injury troubles.
Newcastle have opted for Thiaw over Marc Guehi, with the German becoming Newcastle’s ninth most expensive signing ever.
There’s hope Thiaw will be available to play against Aston Villa in the Premier League’s opening weekend and here’s how you actually say his name.
- Who is Malick Thiaw? Meet the ‘very good’ defender Eddie Howe has brought to Newcastle United
How do you say Malick Thiaw?
If you’ve never heard Thiaw’s name pronounced out loud before, you may presume it’s pronounced ‘Thee-orr’ or perhaps ‘Tee-oh’.
However, you would be wrong, as the actual pronunciation is close to ‘Chow’ or ‘Chee-ow’.
You can watch the man himself pronounce his name himself right here:
Does Malick Thiaw become an instant starter for Newcastle United?
Though Howe has been keen to strengthen his back-line for some time, it actually remains to be seen if Thiaw becomes a guaranteed starter, at least initially.
It was, of course, important that Newcastle recruited a younger centre-back as Burn and Schar are well into their 30s, but the veteran duo are by no means done yet.
They made for a formidable centre-back partnership last season and have shown no signs of slowing down.
It’s crucial Newcastle have multiple options given the added burden of the Champions League, and Thiaw’s arrival means they now have four quality centre-backs along with Botman.
Thiaw is undoubtedly going to get a lot of game time in a slog of a season but he might have to wait and fight to become first choice.
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