Malick Thiaw said he will let Como know soon as they await an answer, but the hypothesis of him staying at AC Milan is far from a remote one.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan and Como are expecting a final answer by midweek from Thiaw. The club by the lake would give the defender a contract of €4m per season and for him they would pay Milan a figure close to €25m, which would be invested in a replacement.
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Why is Thiaw expendable
Massimiliano Allegri’s press conference confirmed the rumours about how he views the central defenders. Strahinja Pavlovic is being watched closely by Max, who wants to try to coach him and understand if his great physical qualities can be combined with a defensive focus not yet seen.
Fikayo Tomori could keep him company, even if the pair did poorly last season. Igli Tare really likes Tomori, he knows how to be aggressive but he needs to improve inside the area, especially in marking with too many mistakes in the last 12 months.
The negotiations with Juve and Tottenham for the transfer are behind us, however, and Tomori is happy with the way he is. He has always said he wants to stay, unless the club shows him the door of course.
Matteo Gabbia performed well last season alongside Thiaw and, among defenders, was the most consistent. He doesn’t have great physical qualities but he is attentive, good at reading the game and more than capable with the ball at his feet. His Milanismo is an example for team-mates too.
Thiaw is therefore the ‘most expendable and probably the most transferable’ of the four. He’s young, has excellent physical qualities, and is highly regarded in the Premier League and the Bundesliga. The world is well aware that Nagelsmann previously called him up for the German national team.
Thiaw is an exemplary player in terms of his behaviour and faces the ‘first major dilemma of his career’. Should he stay at Milan, risking starting on the bench, or move to Como, a small but wealthy and rapidly growing club? When in doubt, consider the third option: a transfer abroad.
I still think it’s crazy to offload Thiaw. He seems like the best fit under Allegri’s system and in a functional defensive phase can be a solid piece. While Tomori and Pavlo are either too rash on tackles or in Pavlo’s case run around like a headless chicken.
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Thiaw more than any of them I think would benefit from consistency of coaching and playing.
Every other game last season seemed like a different CB pairing. Not to mention multiple coaches with different philosophies.
Difficult to understand why we want to sell him. The only CB we have that is good at playing from the back. The one with the highest potential to grow.
Pretty sure Thiaw is the only sellable cb. Thats why he’s on the block. Milan seem like they want an Italian cb, but will need to sell a cb to buy one. To me, swapping Thiaw for Leoni or comuzzo seems like a lateral move as they all have the same potential and roughly the same talent.
What a bunch of baloney. They gave positive reasons for Pavlović and Gabbia while sh*t on Tomori but Tare likes. And Thiaw is the most expendable? No, from this report it’s clear it is Tomori.
Thiaw just happens to be the player who brings in biggest plusvalenza.
Agree… out of all of them, Tomori is the one who has improved the least since he joined. Gabbia improved a ton, Pavlo is new and has improved and so has Thiaw. The only thing Tomori has on everyone else is speed.
I do agree that out of all of them Thiaw has the most value
100%
“ Thiaw is therefore the ‘most expendable and probably the most transferable’ of the four. He’s young, has excellent physical qualities, and is highly regarded in the Premier League and the Bundesliga. The world is well aware that Nagelsmann previously called him up for the German national team.
Thiaw is an exemplary player in terms of his behaviour”
So – WHY would we want to get rid of Thiaw if all of the above is true AND WHY for ONLY 25M?????
Doesn’t make sense. Ya I get it IF a 50M offer comes. But what are u going to get as a replacement for 25M??? Another Pavlovic who cannot defend that well and has yet to master zonal marking????? We need ball playing CB and that is what Thiaw is. Under Allegri and his system he will blossom. Foolish to dump him now especially for only 25M.
IF you need to sell – then sell Tomori or Pavlovic to the EPL for bigger $$$
No, Tomori is. I think Thiaw would just bring in the highest fee and that’s all this ownership cares about.
I’m with the others here. Selling Thiaw doesn’t make sense and especially not at those prices quoted. We know of his upsides and what he’s like at peak in the right conditions. He’s quite good imo. Plus he’s yet to fulfill his full potential and also the youngest of the bunch of CBs. Selling him will disrupt the chemistry of our centre backs -it takes time to gel.
Seems he’s the most likely to go because he can command something of a fee for the coffers. Nothing more.