It has certainly been a tough last year for Malick Thiaw, going from a breakthrough player to spending more and more time on the bench. As a report highlights, the current season is decisive for the future, which AC Milan must be aware of.
As highlighted by Gazzetta dello Sport, a year can make all the difference in football. There are many examples, and at Milan, one of them is the development of Thiaw. After a promising first season with the Rossoneri, he was practically a certain starter along with Fikayo Tomori in the summer of 2023.
He had showcased rapid, almost magical growth, in the final six months of the first season and the sky seemed to be the limit. Then came the drop, showcasing an inconsistency that made it very difficult for Stefano Pioli to justify starting him week in and week out.
Now, Thiaw’s career is at a crossroads as Milan inevitably must think about monetisation, given that the centre-back is 23 years old and has a contract until 2027. Not necessarily to sell him, after all he could become a regular in the first team again, but the potential simply cannot be left unexplored.
At one point in the summer, it looked like he was one step away from leaving. Newcastle expressed an interest but ultimately went in a different direction, above all because Milan asked for €40m. A fee that Thiaw is no longer worth, but the potential is there for Fonseca to increase the valuation again.
Acmilan should sell out tomori he is lacking
Pecking order.
The potential is there (194 cm, good pace), but he needs to show on a regular basis that he has formed positional awareness.
100%, they should not pressurise him, we forget his age and Milan’s revolving door when it comes to central defender partnership.
Give the boy time, he has all the physical and technical attributes, just needs to improve his judgement, which comes with experience, if we persist with him we will reap the benefits.
Tomori, needs to be moved on before his value plummets, West Hak ideal for Tomori and RLC
Indeed he can reach maturity only by playing and getting experience. If he needs to play some time without too much pressure, then Fonseca should play him against the weakest Serie A teams until he gains more confidence and is ready to be a regular starter vs big teams as well. He and Pavlovic are still young and have potential to take their game to the next level.