Tag: Haunt

Just days after completing his £21m switch from Borussia Dortmund to Aston Villa, Donyell Malen could be in line to make his Premier League debut against his former club Arsenal, live on Sky Sports.

With Jaden Philogene’s return to Villa Park lasting just six months and Leon Bailey failing to recapture his scintillating form from last season – which saw him net 10 goals and add nine assists in the top-flight – it was clear Unai Emery needed reinforcements.

Villa’s interest in Malen has been long standing but just over two weeks into the winter window, they had their man.

Malen now returns to England eight years after leaving the Arsenal academy to join PSV Eindhoven in 2017 – and might just have a point to prove when the two sides meet on Saturday Night Football.

Saturday 18th January 5:00pm


Kick off 5:30pm

Will Malen have a point to prove?

After idolising Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp throughout his development, joining Arsenal in 2015 was a dream come true for Malen.

However, his exit from the club two years later – after scoring 27 goals in 67 appearances for the academy teams – soured his time at the Emirates Stadium.

The forward, who left without making a first-team appearance, was reportedly referred to as “too fat” by Andries Jonker, then head of youth development, prior to his exit.

Reflecting on his time in north London after securing a move to PSV for £540,000, he told Dutch media: “I heard him say that I came in too fat.

“That surprised me. They had already been working at Arsenal for two months when I arrived. Then of course you are not immediately at the same level.

“I was not yet match fit, but too fat? No. It was going well in England, but I still wanted to leave Arsenal because I had the opportunity to sign for PSV. I took that chance.”

Seven years later and with his price tag now skyrocketing to just under 40 times what Arsenal received, Malen could be set to haunt his former side in their quest to close the four-point gap to Liverpool in the title race.

Arsenal could use Malen’s talents

Football works in mysterious ways and Malen being back on familiar turf and possibly making his debut against his former club – who arguably need someone of his profile – is the latest twist in the Premier League tale.

The 25-year-old is well versed in playing across all positions in a front three and with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri all injured, and Raheem Sterling struggling, his talents seem perfectly fit to address the current issues at the Gunners.

While not prolific in the goal-scoring department with 92 goals to his name across 237 senior appearances in his club career, the versatile forward offers another prong to any attack, as well as experience on the Champions League and international stage.

For Villa, the new signing will take pressure off Bailey on the right, provide added cover for Jacob Ramsey on the left and can even operate as the second striker that Emery so often deploys in the form of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans or captain John McGinn.

Malen’s versatility by numbers

Predominantly used in a partnership up-front while at PSV, Malen earned himself a £25m move to Dortmund in 2021 after showcasing his potential with 46 goals in 76 outings when deployed as a forward.

Having a dominant figure like Erling Haaland to contend with, and Serhou Guirassy since then, meant the Netherlands international was regularly used out wide but continued to show his worth by contributing in the final third and creating for his team-mates.

His final tally after leaving the Westfalenstadion came in at a modest 39 goals and 20 assists but with Emery’s track record of getting the best out of players and using them in unorthodox ways, there is enough evidence to suggest his time in the Second City could be fruitful.

Two opposite ends of the striker spectrum

While Malen addresses several issues for Villa and adds crucial depth, the problems for Arsenal only continue to grow.

Rocked by the confirmation that forward Jesus had suffered an ACL injury during the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United, Mikel Arteta has been left with only Kai Havertz to rely on in the forward areas.

Sky Sports News understands the Gunners are actively searching for reinforcements in the area but heading into this fixture, the two sides will be at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to strikers.

While Arsenal hope for Havertz to rediscover his finest form in-front of goal as their lone option, Villa are quite the opposite – even before the addition of Malen – as Emery aims to spread sufficient minutes to both Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran.

Duran returned to the match-day squad against Everton after serving his two-match suspension following the red card against Newcastle – and after netting four goals in his last four outings prior to the time on the sidelines, will likely want his starting role back.

Meanwhile, Watkins, who provided 13 assists to go alongside his 19 goals in the league last season, still currently holds top spot in the goal-scoring department for Villa with nine. Which is two more than his counter-part has managed in just four league starts.

Having two top forwards vying for the starting role is an unfamiliar problem to have in modern football – and it is one Arsenal likely envy.

Watch Arsenal vs Aston Villa, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, from 5pm on Saturday.