Malick joined Newcastle United in the summer of 2025 ending a long search for a long term replacement for the brilliant, but aging, Fabian Schar.

United had been linked with Marc Guehi for a couple of windows to that point, but failed bids in 2024 and a link (indeed a fallen through move to deadline day 2025) to Liverpool forced the Magpies to look elsewhere.

Thiaw had been a player Howe had been looking at for some time too however and a deal of £30m (potentially raising to £34m) was enough to secure the full German international.