Donyell Malen ‘saves Aston Villa millions’ ahead of 2025-26 season
Donyell Malen had a slow start to his Aston Villa career.
Netherlands international Malen signed from Borussia Dortmund in the January transfer window, but didn’t make the impact he would have wanted.
Although he made 14 league appearances and scored three goals, he barely started any games, as the likes of Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins and Marco Asensio were preferred.
However, now Rashford and Asensio are gone, Malen has proved he’s capable of stepping up to the plate in pre-season.
No one should be surprised if he’s one of Villa’s standout performers this season.
Malen has stepped up for Villa in pre-season
Malen scored twice in Aston Villa’s first pre-season fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt to set the tone for the summer friendlies.
He followed that up with an assist against St. Louis and another goal against Nashville.
But the highlight of his summer has to be the solo goal in the 4-0 win against AS Roma at Villa Park.
Malen showed everyone what he was capable of during his time on the pitch in that game, and Villa fans will hope to see more during the Premier League season.
Evann Guessand has signed, and he’ll provide direct competition to Malen for a starting place, but the Dutchman has what it takes to fight off that competition and become an important player for Unai Emery’s team.
Now that he’s shown what he’s capable of, it also means he’s potentially saved Villa chiefs millions when it comes to finding someone else down the line.
Malen could be like a new signing for Aston Villa
It has been a slow transfer window for Aston Villa, but they haven’t lost any key players, and the development of Malen feels somewhat like a new signing.
That’s because he has looked like a new-and-improved version of himself in a Villa shirt at times.
It’s unclear whether Emery prefers him as a striker or a winger. He’s been playing up front a lot this summer, although he’d arguably find it easier to get in team on the right wing.
| Donyell Malen Aston Villa statistics | |
| Signed | January 2025 |
| Appearances | 17 |
| Goals | 3 |
Earlier in the summer, there were rumours that Malen might be sold, but that has been the case for so many first-team players during this frustrating transfer window.
The way Malen has performed in pre-season, he has surely earned a second chance to prove he can do the business in the Premier League, and it would take a brave man to bet against him taking that opportunity if he gets it.
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