donyell Malen has become the fashionable footballer of Italian football. Roma’s Dutch striker is the fittest footballer of the second half of the season in Italysomething that was not expected to happen seeing the beginning of the course.
Malen was one of Aston Villa’s five signings by Unai Emery during the month of January 2025. Along with Malen, names like Rashford, Asensio and Disasi came to the Birmingham team. The objective of the ‘Villains’ sports management was to increase a wardrobe in the most offensive part of the team where Aston Villa did not perform at its best level in the first half of the year.
The ‘bottle’ received by Malen
However, the Dutchman received his first setback as soon as he landed in England. Unai Emery left him off the January list for the knockout phase of the last Champions League. This absence was explained by a clear reason: according to UEFA regulations, Only three players can be added to the squads of the clubs regarding the first list of September. Emery decided to include Rashford, Asensio and Disasi in this list ahead of the former Dortmund player. Something that was quite shocking after The English club invested 25 kilos in his signing. In mid-season, Malen scored three goals in 17 games.
Key change of scenery
This season, Malen already started as another player on the squad. Aston Villa’s need to adjust to the rules of Financial Fair Play caused a squad adjustment through which the Dutchman was able to enjoy a little more continuity for Emery. In mid-season, Malen played just over 1,000 minutes in 29 games, where he only scored seven goals..
Last January, the Aston Villa decided to get rid of Malen in the winter market. To do this, he agreed to a ‘barter’ with Roma: Leon Bailey returned to England, while the Dutchman went to the Italian capital in exchange for 2 million euros for his loan until the end of the season.
The start of Malen in the ‘Loba’ couldn’t have been better: five goals in his first five league games. Some historical data, only at the level of a myth of Italian football like Batistuta, who had already achieved it in 2000. “When I signed for Roma, I had a good feeling. I am very happy to be here. Gasperini was very important for me. He spoke to me about my role and what I could contribute to the team. Roma is a team with a lot of ambition. This is the ideal place to demonstrate my qualities“Malen acknowledged.
This start, however, has not stopped there. With last weekend’s double against Parma, Malen reached 13 goals in Serie A in just 16 league games. Something that is not going unnoticed in Italy, since the Dutch, with a less contested half of the year compared to the rest, is in a position to win this season’s ‘capocannoniere’. Currently, Malen is the second top scorer in the competition together with Thuram and Douvikas and He is four goals away from equaling Lautaro Martínez. A difference, a priori, unattainable in the two remaining days of the championship, but which seems more affordable considering the calendar. The Roma, which is still fighting to reach the Champions League positions, plays its last two games against a Lazio that has nothing at stake and against Hellas Verona, already relegated..
Malen’s statistics at Roma
As he advanced Fabrizio Romano, Roma will exercise the purchase option of 25 million to permanently acquire the forward after meeting the requirements for his transfer in the month of January.
