Donyell Malen
Rome, Italy 25th January 2026: Donyell Malen of AS Roma during the Serie A 2025-26 football match between AS ROMA vs AC MILAN at the Olimpico Stadium
On Monday, Sport Witness covered comments from Donyell Malen, who is thriving at AS Roma away from Aston Villa.
He made it clear that Gian Piero Gasperini was key behind the transfer, as he left the Villans on an initial loan deal. The Giallorossi have an obligation to buy him permanently and everything suggests the deal should go through.
That is mainly because the attacker has got off to a great start in Italy. He has five goals in all competitions and got a brace against title-chasing Napoli on Sunday.
As praise for the 27-year-old continues to grow, the Aston Villa loanee’s ex-coach Bryan Roy has spoken about his rise.
Roma seen as perfect for Malen
The ex-Netherlands international spoke to Tuttomercatoweb about the attacker. He made it clear the deal was always going to be a great marriage for the player and the Rome giants.
“He’s perfect for Roma and for Italian football, in my opinion. A great team in Italy, it doesn’t matter if it’s not Juventus or Milan, he has this personality that fits perfectly with the Giallorossi. It’s truly a great marriage between Malen and Roma.”
The coach revealed his belief that Italian football suits the striker more than English football or Aston Villa did.
“As soon as I heard he could go there, I thought: this deal will work out great. Italy has a culture that suits him perfectly, more so than the English one.’
Roy was also asked about the Dutchman’s development and if he reminds him of anyone.
“You could see from his early teens that these qualities would take him to the top, even though he still had a long way to go.”
“He doesn’t remind me of any particular player; he was a right-handed player who played on the left, but now he’s a central defender, where these qualities shine even brighter.”
Money incoming for Aston Villa
Aston Villa paid €26m in total for Malen, who joined from Borussia Dortmund in January 2025. Roma can make the deal permanent by paying €25m, which will help the Villans earn a good capital profit.
In his time at Aston Villa, the Netherlands man did fairly well. He contributed to 12 goals in 46 appearances, even if he was never given regular starts.
That is why his permanent transfer to Roma will help all parties involved.