Earlier this month, Sport Witness covered comments from Donyell Malen, who spoke about his Aston Villa exit and why he picked AS Roma.
He described Gian Piero Gasperini as a key reason for the transfer, with the player having scored five times for the club.
The Dutchman praised the manager right after the Italian compared him to the legendary Gianluca Vialli. While that comparison was obviously far-fetched, Malen’s impact has been clear to see.
After scoring a brace against Napoli, he also started against Cremonese. While he didn’t score, the attacker had a good game and helped Roma to a 3-0 win.
The arrival from Aston Villa is now seen as a big reason why Roma are better than they were towards the end of last year.
Why Roma are relying on Malen
Today’s Corriere dello Sport looks at three reasons the Giallorossi have turned things around. They are well-seated in a Champions League spot and on track to return to the competition.
The first reason for the turnaround is Malen himself. He is described as a ‘Martian’ who helps Roma ‘orchestrate’ the Gasperini way on the pitch.
The Aston Villa player has already equalled Evan Ferguson’s tally of five goals, while playing just six league games. Before he joined, Roma were relying on goals from midfield and from defenders.
Artem Dovbyk struggled with form and fitness – just like Ferguson. This forced Gasperini to often play Paulo Dybala in an unnatural striker role. Malen has taken over that position now, giving Gasperini reasons to smile about.
Regret for Aston Villa?
Usually, goalscoring form like that of Malen should make selling clubs regret the sale.
But in this case, Aston Villa won’t really have too many regrets. The 27-year-old did show his goalscoring ability under Unai Emery but was never trusted as a regular.
Besides, the Villans brought Tammy Abraham back to the club and he already has a goal. He is a much more proven Premier League goalscorer than Malen due to his prior experience.
Now, Aston Villa would only be looking forward to earning from Malen’s permanent departure.
