Milan have finally added the centre-back that the management have been chasing for some time, as Malick Thiaw was announced as a new signing from Bundesliga club Schalke 04.
Malick Thiaw is the fifth German player to wear the AC Milan shirt and the first to join the Rossoneri in the 21st century: before him, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, Christian Ziege, Oliver Bierhoff and Jens Lehmann.
The latter two, who both unusually arrived in 1998, helped AC Milan with the Scudetto.
It would be fair to say that little is known about the player except that he is very highly rated in his home country and that the management have clearly been keen for some time, having also pursued him in the winter.
It was a difficult decision for us to let Malick go. He is a homegrown player from the Knappenschmiede, has developed very well in recent years and would have been a sporting asset to our squad, said the Schalke 04 sporting director.
We always have to consider the economic aspects in all decisions, as we did last winter when we still rejected a transfer. The general conditions now are different and financially so good that we have now agreed to the transfer.
This tactical analysis provides an in-depth scout report of AC Milan’s Malick Thiaw, examining the 21-year-old’s playing style and characteristics.
In addition to understanding how and where Thiaw plays, this analysis will also identify the style of tactics where he is most likely to thrive.
Is he the next player to make his way up in European football under Stefano Pioli?
Malick Thiaw Player Profile
Malick Thiaw was born on 8 August 2001 and stands tall at 1.94m.
Having bounced around different academies like Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach, Thiaw finally found his feet at Schalke when he was 14 years old.
With Schalke 04 going through a financial crisis of sorts, Thiaw was promoted at a very early age, and this gave him a wealth of experience.
Malick Thiaw has played 26 matches throughout his career in the Bundesliga.
Of these, he has won only two.
Additionally, he played a brilliant season in the 2. Bundesliga.
Thiaw made a total of 61 appearances for Schalkes senior squad.
Playing under coach Manuel Baum in 2020, Thiaw slotted in at right centre-back in a three-man defence.
However, once Baum was sacked and Christian Gross came in, he employed Thiaw as the RCB in a four-man defence.
Once Schalke got relegated, they once again reverted to a back three, where Thiaw was played on the right of a three-man defence.
Before opting for Germany, Thiaw had the chance to make his debut with the youth team of Finland, his mothers native country: in 2017, he was called up for the Finnish Under-17 team, declining in favour of the national team of his own home country.
Today, Thiaw plays a key role in Germanys Under 21 team.
After being part of the squad, which went on to win the 2021 Euros, the new Rossoneri defender made eight appearances in the 2023 European Championship qualifiers, also scoring against Latvia and San Marino.
So, his strong side to play is on the right.
This also becomes clear by looking at his heatmap from last season.
One cause for that might be that he is right-footed.
Malick Thiaw Data Analysis
Thiaw is averaging 7.32 defensive duels per 90 with a success rate of 71.26% as well as 5.22 aerial duels per 90 with a success rate of 54.62%. His ability to read the game and break up opposition attacks is also very clear and he has 8.47 possession-adjusted interceptions per game.
Thiaw plays an average of 50.96 passes per 90 with 9.65 progressive passes per 90 and 5.09 passes into the final third per 90.
In the 2022/23 Bundesliga campaign, he played thre
