Donyell Malen

[lovejoy]

In short:
"Donyell Malen, Aston Villa’s new signing, is a complex and inconsistent footballer whose career has seen moments of brilliance and frustration. Initially a prodigy at Arsenal, Malen struggled to break into the first team and moved to PSV, where he thrived, scoring 27 goals in the 2020-21 season. His performances made him one of Europe’s most sought-after talents, leading to a €30 million move to Borussia Dortmund in 2021.

At Dortmund, Malen's form was erratic. While he showed flashes of brilliance, including joint-top scorer for the club in the 2023-24 season, he also had prolonged periods of poor performances, characterized by a lack of defensive contribution and one-dimensional play. Critics noted his inconsistency, especially in terms of his off-the-ball work and defensive efforts.

Malen’s career at Dortmund was overshadowed by systemic issues at the club, with many players failing to develop as expected, including Malen. His introverted personality and desire to leave the club added to the tension. Despite these struggles, he remains a talented player, and Aston Villa now faces the challenge of unlocking his full potential. Unai Emery will be the next manager to try to solve the Rubik's Cube of Malen’s talents."

To be honest this isn't massively positive.

[Dante Lavelli]

That’s a good article by the athletic.

Let’s face it, if there weren’t deficiencies in his game we wouldn’t be signing him at all, let alone for £20m.

[cdbearsfan]

They've just lost to the German version of Southampton without him, so he must be good.

[Small Rodent]

To be honest it’s a load of AI  cock spew.

[LukeJames]

They've just lost to the German version of Southampton without him, so he must be good.

Good at home, crap away, can't defend, occasionally brilliant. They seem to be the German version of us.

[Tayls_7]

There's little chance Emery would sign a winger who can't be arsed to track back if he didn't think he could get him performing as he'd want.

[john e]

The write ups make him sound like Bailey, all that inconsistency and has runs of games without doing much
I’ve never seen it but I’m sure Baileys show real is unbelievable as well

I’m not trying to be super negative I actually like the fact we’ve gone for a wide forward player And obviously with the elite coaching we have i’m hoping he’s going to find his home here

[Sexual Ealing]

To be honest it’s a load of AI  cock spew.

It might be cock spew, but it isn't AI.

[OCD]

Bailey's best performances came when he had competition with Diaby so maybe having Malen and Bailey competing with eachother, whoever's in form can play.

[Dave]

The write ups make him sound like Bailey, all that inconsistency and has runs of games without doing much

That does describe pretty much every winger in the world that isn't Mo Salah though.

[eye digress]

Bailey's best performances came when he had competition with Diaby so maybe having Malen and Bailey competing with eachother, whoever's in form can play.

Will be intriguing to see if it actually lifts Bailey’s form.

[ChicagoLion]

If he was a player that hits 8 out of 10 performances every week, you are not paying £20 ish million.

[dave.woodhall]

Welcome to Villa, Donyell. Please don't be shit.

[john e]

The write ups make him sound like Bailey, all that inconsistency and has runs of games without doing much

That does describe pretty much every winger in the world that isn't Mo Salah though.

Yeah well I’m hoping he’s not going to be like pretty much every winger in the world and buck the trend

[Ian.]

Looking forward to seeing him play. I do hope he’s an adequate replacement or upgrade on Diaby and cover for Bailey if necessary. We’ve really lacked in this department all season and no surprise that’s what we’ve looked at fixing first.