A former Arsenal player could impact their Premier League title hopes later this month.
Aston Villa are in negotiations to sign Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund after an initial bid was rejected. The 25-year-old forward, who previously played for Arsenal, could return to haunt his old club if he moves to Villa Park.
Malen joined Arsenal in 2015, expressing pride and excitement when he learned of their interest, mentioning legends Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry as his inspirations. He spent two years in the academy before leaving for PSV Eindhoven in 2017 for around £540,000. Five years ago, Malen revealed that Arsenal’s youth head, Andries Jonker, had told him he was “too fat” when he arrived, an accusation that surprised him, as he wasn’t match fit but didn’t consider himself overweight.
Malen thrived at PSV, scoring 55 goals and providing 24 assists in 116 appearances. Despite having a contract extension offer from Arsenal, he chose not to return to England for financial reasons. He later moved to Dortmund in 2021 for £26 million, replacing Jadon Sancho. After struggling for regular starting spots in Germany, Malen is reportedly on the move again, with Villa in talks to bring him back to the Premier League.
Dortmund is asking for £16.6 million plus bonuses after rejecting Villa’s £13.3 million bid. Malen, who has scored 39 goals and provided 20 assists in 131 games for Dortmund, is ready for a new challenge, and his potential return to the Premier League could see him face Arsenal on January 18.
Malen, compared by his former Ajax youth coach Brian Tevreden to Alexis Sanchez, has never played against Arsenal and might relish the opportunity to make an impact against them, especially if he joins Villa.
While a deal hasn’t been finalized yet, Malen could prove to be a threat to Arsenal, even as a substitute, if he becomes a Villa player in the next couple of weeks. Under former Arsenal manager Unai Emery, Malen will likely want to prove Arsenal made a mistake by letting him go.
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