Newcastle United has entered a dramatically different era this summer, with manager Matthias Jaissle replacing Eddie Howe and several established leaders leaving St. James' Park in Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon.
With last season's three best players all gone, others within the squad are set to take on greater responsibility. One of them, German defender Malick Thiaw, believes Newcastle should still be targeting European qualification this season, with the potential new captain insisting those departures have not diminished the squad's ambitions.
"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," Thiaw said. "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."
Thiaw's comments carry additional weight after Jaissle handed him the captain's armband for Saturday's 2-1 preseason victory over Valencia. The center back played more minutes than any Newcastle player last season and could take on an expanded leadership role following the exits of Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier.
The 25-year-old also believes Newcastle's summer additions, as young as they all are, are already capable of contributing immediately despite their age.
"What I like about the new youngsters, the new generation, they're really confident, that's also how they play," Thiaw said. "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."
With Newcastle having finished 12th in the Premier League last season, Thiaw's European target sounds ambitious at the very least, let alone after losing three of the squad's most important players. Still, the defender believes Jaissle's team has more than enough quality to rebound.
"Of course, the Premier League is always hard, it's never easy, that's what everybody knows," Thiaw said. "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."
There are plenty of reasons to question whether Newcastle can realistically return to Europe immediately after such a disruptive summer, but Thiaw clearly has no intention of lowering expectations.
Is European qualification a realistic target for this new-look Magpies, or would simply returning to the top half represent a successful first season under Jaissle? Share your expectations in the comments section below!
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