Why Donyell Malen is worth the risk for Arsenal - but not worth €50m

Sam McGuire

20 Mar 2024 10:00 CDT
4 min read

Donyell Malen, Arsenal, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Donyell Malen is once again being courted by some of the best clubs in the Premier League.

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There will be a sense of deja vu with recent reports. The 25-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker was believed to be on the radar of a number of top flight English clubs before he made the move to the Bundesliga in 2021.

The Dutch international had caught the eye while turning out for PSV Eindhoven. His goalscoring exploits, especially across his final two seasons with the club when he found the back of the net on 44 occasions in all competitions, had a lot of people wondering exactly why Arsenal allowed their academy graduate to be sold in August 2017.

After a difficult two seasons at the Westfalenstadion, Malen has found his feet this term. He’s having his best campaign to date for BVB and has 13 goals across all competitions. The 25-year-old has a goal involvement in six of his last nine outings. He actually has seven goals and an assist in this period.

His form hasn’t gone unnoticed.

According to reports, the 28-cap international is liked by title rivals Liverpool and Arsenal as well as Manchester United. However, according to Sky Sports Deutschland's Florian Plettenberg, the former two have more of a concrete interest in the versatile forward.

Malen, a one-time Ajax academy player, is believed to be open to leaving the Bundesliga side at the end of the season despite having a deal with the club that runs until 2026. Per multiple outlets, BVB are believed to want €50 million for the attacker.

All things considered, that is a steep fee for an inconsistent player. However, if there’s enough interest in Malen, Dortmund could well bank that sort of money for the Dutchman.

The BVB No21 is represented by SEG. This agency also looks after Rasmus Hojlund, Cody Gakpo and Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, so you can understand why a move to England might be being explored.

But is he really cut out for a big-money move to one of the big six clubs in the Premier League or is his reputation being propped up by what he was doing in the Eredivisie?

© IMAGO - Donyell Malen is wanted by Arsenal and Man Utd

In truth, Malen has struggled since the switch to Dortmund. Granted, the club have had a difficult few years with managerial changes and key players leaving, the point is the striker hasn’t really been able to put his stamp on things there.

During his first season, he racked up just shy of 1,700 minutes in the German top flight and he scored just five goals. During the 2022/23 campaign, Malen appeared in a little over 1,700 minutes but this time he managed to chip in with nine goals and five assists as BVB pushed for the Bundesliga title.

With the exception of this season, Malen is usually on par with his underlying numbers. He isn’t an elite finisher but, by the same token, he isn’t wasteful. His expected goal numbers tally up with his actual return and this should be viewed as a positive. While his game time and the BVB team have been far from reliable, he’s been fairly consistent, especially when you consider the limited playing time.

While Malen might not be good enough to be a starter for the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool or even Manchester United, he is more than capable of being a squad player for these teams, and a useful one at that. At BVB, he’s been a bit-part player who can fill in across a number of positions and no matter where he’s been used, he’s been able to contribute. That is what a lot of these clubs want. In fact, it is what they need. Someone who can come in and do a job in a number of positions while still being able to quantifiably impact the game.

The reported fee seems excessive but if you get five years of double-digit hauls across all competitions while being able to rotate without performance levels dropping, he is probably a worthwhile signing.