Just days after completing his move 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 sparkling form from last season – which saw him score 10 goals and provide nine assists in the top flight – it was clear that Unai Emery needed reinforcement.
Villa's interest in Malen has been long-standing, but just over two weeks into winter they had their man.
Malen now returns to England eight years after leaving the Arsenal academy to join PSV Eindhoven in 2017 – and may have a point to prove when the two sides meet on Saturday Night Football.
Does Malen have a point to prove?
Having graced Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp during his development, joining Arsenal in 2015 was a dream come true for Malen.
However, his departure 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 attacker, who left without appearing in the first team, was called 'too fat' by Andries Jonker, then head of youth development, prior to his departure.
Reflecting on his time in north London after securing a £540,000 move to PSV, he told the Dutch media: “I heard him say I was coming in too big.
“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. Things went well in England, but I still wanted to leave Arsenal because I had the chance to sign for PSV. I took that chance.”
Seven years later, and with his price tag rocketing to just under 40 times what Arsenal received, Malen could be chasing his former side in their quest to close the four-point gap to Liverpool in the title race.
Arsenal can make good use of Malen's talents
Football works in mysterious ways and the fact that Malen is back on familiar territory and possibly making his debut against his former club – who arguably need someone with his profile – is the latest twist in the Premier League story.
The 25-year-old is well versed in playing in all positions in a front three and with Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri all injured and Raheem Sterling struggling, his talents appear perfectly suited to tackle the Gunners' current problems to grab.
Although not prolific in terms of goal-scoring, with 92 goals to his name in 237 senior appearances in his club career, the versatile forward offers an extra boost to any attack, as well as experience on the Champions League and international stage.
For Villa, the new signing will take the pressure off Bailey on the right, provide extra cover for Jacob Ramsey on the left and could even act as the second striker that Emery so often uses in the form of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans or captain John McGinn. .
Malen's versatility in numbers
Primarily used in a partnership at PSV, Malen earned a £25m move to Dortmund in 2021 after showing his potential with 46 goals in 76 games when deployed as a striker.
Having a dominant figure like Erling Haaland to contend with, and since then Serhou Guirassy, meant the Netherlands international was regularly deployed out wide, but he continued to show his value by contributing in the final third and creating for his teammates.
His final tally after leaving the Westfalenstadion came to 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 plenty of evidence to suggest that his time in the Second City could be a disaster. fertile.
Two opposite ends of the rush hour spectrum
While Malen addresses several issues for Villa and adds crucial depth, Arsenal's problems continue to compound.
Shocked by the confirmation that striker Jesus had suffered a cruciate ligament injury during the FA Cup defeat to Manchester United, Mikel Arteta has only Kai Havertz to rely on in the forward line.
Sky Sports News understands the Gunners are actively looking to add reinforcements to the area, but heading into this match the two sides will be at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to strikers.
While Arsenal will be hoping that Havertz will rediscover his best form in front of goal as their only option, Villa are the exact opposite – even before Malen's arrival – as Emery looks to spread out enough minutes for both Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran.
Duran returned to the matchday squad against Everton after serving his two-match suspension following the red card against Newcastle. Having scored four goals in his last four appearances prior to his time on the sidelines, he will likely want his starting role back.
Meanwhile, Watkins, who provided 13 assists in addition to his 19 goals in the league last season, is currently still in first place in Villa's goalscoring department with nine. That is two more than his counterpart has done in just four league starts.
Having two top strikers competing for the starting role is an unknown problem in modern football – and it's something Arsenal are probably jealous of.
Watch Arsenal vs Aston Villa live on Sky Sports Main Event and the Sky Sports Premier League on Saturday from 5pm.
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