Aston Villa fans are struggling to believe the latest Donyell Malen news at Roma: ‘Crazy’
Aston Villa fans are in disbelief that Donyell Malen was allowed to leave the club in January after he continued his fine form for Roma against Napoli.
Malen netted his fourth and fifth goals in five appearances for Roma as he helped fire them to a 2-2 draw against the Serie A champions on Sunday.
Villa allowed Malen to leave for the Italian capital on a loan deal with an option to buy last month, after he had struggled to make consistent starts in the first half of the season.
The Netherlands international moved to Villa Park from Borussia Dortmund last January, and netted three goals in 17 appearances towards the end of last term.
He scored seven times in 29 appearances for Unai Emery‘s side this season before departing for Roma, and many Villa supporters cannot understand why he has been allowed to leave after a fine start to life in Serie A.
Villa fans struggle to understand Donyell Malen loan decision after brace vs Napoli
Malen scored on his Roma debut in a 2-0 win over Torino on 18 January, then went two games without a goal against AC Milan and Udinese.
He then returned to the scoresheet with a brace against Cagliari last Monday, and followed that up with two more at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona over the weekend.
Villa have struggled to score in recent weeks, with just three goals and one win in their last four matches, and many of their fans cannot understand why Malen is not still a part of their squad.
Taking to X after his latest goals, one fan said: “Biggest mistake of our season selling him, Tammy (Abraham) better deliver.”
Another added: “Can’t believe we sold him, man. Scores every week for Roma.”
While one fan exclaimed: “We kept Watkins and sold this guy,” alongside numerous laughing emojis.
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Will Malen return to Villa Park this summer?
Malen is clearly in fine form at Roma, with Gian Piero Gasperini’s side on course to achieve Champions League qualification for the club for the first time since 2018.
The Italian giants have been buoyed by his arrival, and Fabrizio Romano has reported that they are already expecting to turn Malen’s loan deal into a permanent one come the summer.
Villa are in line to receive around €25million (£21.7m), with an obligation to buy him set to be triggered if Roma reach the Champions League or Europa League, and he appears in at least half of their games from now until the end of the season.
Malen clearly has no future at Villa Park, which could come back to bite Emery if their current forwards falter in the latter stages of this season.
To read more about Unai Emery’s side and their quest to make the Champions League this season, head to Villa News.