Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw has insisted the Magpies should be aiming to qualify for European football next season, despite a summer of significant change at St James' Park.
First Pre-Season Appearance
Thiaw made his first appearance of pre-season in Saturday's 2-1 win over Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium, captaining Newcastle in Matthias Jaissle's first game in charge.
The German international played more minutes than any other United player last season. In a transfer window that has seen Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier, Sandro Tonali, and Anthony Gordon leave the club, the former AC Milan player felt like an obvious candidate to step up into a leadership role.
Youth Movement at St James' Park
That has only been accentuated by the arrival of four players under the age of 20 this summer, although there have already been promising signs from Sean Steur, Bazoumana Toure, and Aladji Bamba in their brief time at the club.
Certainly, that is the feeling behind the scenes, too, with Thiaw full of praise for the positive impact they have had on the Newcastle squad over the past week in La Manga.
"We are really happy with how they perform in training and also in the games," Thiaw told Chronicle Live. "What I like about the new youngsters, the new generation, they're really confident, that's also how they play."
"So they're not scared to step up, so, yeah, big appreciation to them, they're doing really well, and of course, I think they are still young, you have to give them a little bit of time, but I think a lot of them are already ready to perform, 100 per cent."
Optimism for the Season
Thiaw also expressed optimism about the team's prospects under their new coach. "I think the team is really optimistic this season, we're looking really forward to what's going on, and what will happen this season. We're fighting hard, we're training hard, trying to do our best to improve, and also the coach is really positive as well, he has a really structured voice, so, yes, we're looking forward to improving."
When pressed on targets for the season, Thiaw insisted there is no reason why Newcastle should not be aiming to qualify for European football this term.
"I think if you speak about targets, for me personally, of course, to play as the club has used to play in the last three or four years, to play, to fight for Europe, I think that's a target."
Fans' Role and Quality
He emphasized the importance of improving on last season and giving back to the fans. "Of course, to be better than last season, to improve, to make the fans happy, to show them that we give everything. I think this is really important, because the fans are a huge part of Newcastle, that's what I experienced in my first year."
"So, yeah, just try to give them everything back, what they give us, and I think the potential is there, the quality is there."
"Of course, the Premier League is always hard, it's never easy, that's what everybody knows. But other teams, I know they speak the same about us, so, I'm really, really optimistic as well that we have the quality to perform this season."
