Donyell Malen joined AS Roma on loan from Aston Villa last week.
The move was given a nudge to progress quickly, as Atletico Madrid’s name was constantly used to pressure the Italian side.
The Dutchman arrived at Roma when they were in desperate need of game-changers in attack. Artem Dovbyk is out injured and Evan Ferguson has lacked consistency through the campaign. Leon Bailey failed to make a mark and has already returned to Aston Villa.
As a result, Malen made his debut against Torino at the weekend. He started the game and scored, helping the Giallorossi to a 2-0 win.
Besides the goal, he impressed with his 1v1 ability and dynamism. He also put the ball in the net a second time, but the referee ruled him offside. The Netherlands international showed glimpses of impressive link-up with Paulo Dybala and now, excitement is growing in Italy.
Alfredo Pedulla has written a column for SportItalia about the 27-year-old. He heaps big praise, describing Malen as ‘pure poetry’.
The journalist notes his technical ability and clinical approach in the final third, clearly glad that he joined Roma.
Pedulla makes it clear that at one point some years ago, he could have joined Juventus. But Roma is believed to be the perfect place, with Malen seen as a better player than Jack Raspadori.
The Italian was initially close to joining Gian Piero Gasperini’s side. He ended up picking Atalanta and this caused annoyance in Rome. But Malen’s good start is making fans forget about the Raspadori saga.
Further, Pedulla also speaks of the ex-Borussia Dortmund player’s partnership with Dybala. There were some very good signs that they can strike up a good partnership.
He clarifies that on Saturday, the duo played like they’ve been together for four years. Excitement is clearly growing about Malen.
