£35m star has ‘great future’ at Newcastle United - he’s already wowed Jamaal Lascelles
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Newcastle United latest news: Jamaal Lascelles has been stunned by Malick Thiaw’s start to life at St James’ Park.
Jamaal Lascelles has predicted that Malick Thiaw will have a ‘really great future’ at Newcastle United following an impressive start to life at St James’ Park.
Thiaw had been wanted by the Magpies for over a year before eventually signing on the dotted line this summer. Newcastle United could pay up to £35m for him if all clauses are met.
After spending the first few weeks on the sidelines and unable to displace Fabian Schar or Dan Burn from the starting XI, Thiaw was handed an opportunity to start away at Bournemouth following a concussion to the former. And the German international hasn’t looked back since starting on the south coast, putting in a string of very good performances in the heart of Eddie Howe’s defence.
Thiaw’s form has been a bright spark for the Magpies despite their struggles in the Premier League. The German international has impressed fans and his teammates alike with Lascelles revealing how impressed he has been with Thiaw’s impact on Tyneside.
“Fantastic,” Lascelles said when asked about Thiaw by the Gazette. “A young lad, really athletic. Some players, it takes a while to settle in the Premier League, but he's found his feet straight away.
“The boys love him. He's well-respected and he's done great for us. I think he's going to have a really great future here.”
Jamaal Lascelles on Newcastle United competition
Thiaw’s great start to life on Tyneside and his ability to slot straight into Howe’s team has, unfortunately for Lascelles, kept him out of action this season. Lascelles, who remains the club captain, hasn’t featured in any form since the end of September and hasn’t started a Premier League game since March 2024.
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Although he remains a key figure behind-the-scenes and as part of the club’s leadership group, Lascelles has admitted that he is ‘desperate’ to play regularly once again: “Yeah, obviously, as a player, everyone's desperate to play. I'm a competitor, so I'm desperate to play.
“But at the same time, I understand we’ve made some great signings. Malick has come into the team and done fantastic. Obviously, Fabby [Schar] is sat on the bench [as well].
“It just goes to show the squad depth we have. That's what you want, really.
“You want that competition in every area. Ultimately, it will just drive us to perform better and push each other more.”
Following the international break, Newcastle United return to action against Manchester City at St James' Park, aiming to bounce back from successive defeats against West Ham and Brentford in the league. They then travel to the south of France to face Marseille in the Champions League.
Lascelles, though, will not be able to feature in that game after being left out of Newcastle United’s ‘List A’ squad for the league phase of that competition. Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento’s respective returns to fitness is expected to add more competition in defence and may have further implications for Lascelles’ game time, or lack of it, as 2025 comes to a close.