Milan have their new defender, as Malick Thiaw arrives today for his medical, so we look at what the Schalke 04 centre-back can bring to the Serie A champions.
Coach Stefano Pioli confirmed to Sky Sport Italia last night after the 2-0 win over Bologna that a deal had been struck for Thiaw.
He probably won’t complete the transfer until Monday, but is expected to land in Italy today from Germany.
It’s reported the fee will be €6m for the man who only turned 21 earlier this month.
Born in Germany to a Senegalese father and Finnish mother, Thiaw has represented Germany at every youth level.
He is extremely tall, standing at 1.94m (over 6ft 3in), and that strength in the air is something that Milan have been sorely lacking in defence since Simon Kjaer’s knee injury last year.
This is also why the Rossoneri had been pursuing Sven Botman, the Lille defender eventually moving to Newcastle United instead.
Thiaw can also play as a right-back or a defensive midfielder, so has talented feet and is capable of playing his way out from the back.
He has been compared to Liverpool defender Joel Matip in Germany.
Maldini known how to bring good defender so I’m expecting an interesting player. Forza Milan
He’s very young and I guess he’s going to be the 5th or 4th choice center-back in case Gabbia leaves, but boy, did he have a horror show against Union Berlin yesterday! At fault for at least two of those 6 goals, and his missed header on one of them was mind boggling to say the least. Nightmare stuff.
Let’s hope he has had his mind elsewhere (on Milan) and it was a one off. Who uses a player destined to leave in a few hours from the start anyway?
He represented Germany on every youth level – that says it all for a young player. Maldini knows what he is doing – look at Kalulu!!!
@Milan Fan
Let’s hope the horror show was because his mind wasn’t on the pitch due to the transfer process ongoing to Milan.
Italian coaches know how to coach a defender. I’m sure he’ll improve loads! What you can’t teach is that height, feet, and hopefully speed!
Maldini and Mas.sara will know him well and will have watched him many times so 1 game won’t keep me awake at night. It’s not as if our current defenders were instant stars. That’s why none of them cost 80 million.
Fair enough.