Aston Villa are hunting for Ollie Watkins' successor in the transfer market but Unai Emery missed out on a possible solution
Donyell Malen of AS Roma celebrates the victory after the Serie A match between AS Roma and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Olimpico
Donyell Malen could have been Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins replacement(Image: Getty)
Former Aston Villa star Donyell Malen casts a shadow over the club's search for strikers to replace Ollie Watkins.
Against the backdrop of Watkins' impending switch to Al-Hilal, Unai Emery appears set to land a long-standing target in Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson. The pair previously worked together at Villarreal, with Jackson openly praising the manager's influence, and are now set to reunite at Villa Park.
In a summer of arguably unprecedented change, Watkins is the latest part of Villa's Europa League-winning team to move away from B6. As Emery crafts his new-look side, his reaction to the England striker's absence against Brighton also shows the centre-forward's importance within the manager's system.
The task of replacing Watkins is a monumental one, given that he has recorded 64 goals and 30 assists in 136 league games under Emery. Reuniting with Jackson has reportedly long been on the Villa boss's radar, but there is an argument that Emery has already sold Watkins' ideal successor: Malen.
The Villa faithful have been forced to watch him flourish from afar since leaving for Roma in January. He has picked up where he left off last season, scoring a hat-trick against Fiorentina on the opening weekend to take his overall tally to 18 goals in 21 appearances.
Malen was undoubtedly a huge hit with Villa fans during his 12 months at the club. Despite the almost immediate disappointment of missing out on the club's Champions League squad - with January loanees Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi taking his place - Malen sought to prove his value to the team.
The sharpness of his finishing was immediately apparent, with his early performances suggesting he was a more instinctive striker than Watkins. A flurry of goals in three consecutive league games during April 2025 gave cause for optimism that Malen was set to make an even greater impact the following season.
As Villa fans can attest, it can be difficult for new signings to adapt to Emery's demands and force their way into what had been, up until this summer, a settled side. However, last October, Malen's promise tempted Emery into a rare system change against Burnley, with the Dutchman successfully partnering Watkins and scoring both goals in a 2-1 win.
Donyel Malen of Roma
Malen has flourished since signing for Roma(Image: Getty)
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Yet those moments as Villa's leading man were all too fleeting and he was sold a few months later for £21.6million. It seems worlds apart from his starring role with Roma, though the difficulty of replicating the same form in the Premier League cannot be overlooked.
Albeit, when Villa are searching for a new number nine, it is natural to wonder whether the club were wrong to cash in on a player who has since proven prolific in one of Europe's other top leagues. When discussing Malen's decision to leave Villa, Emery mentioned the forward's desire to become a key figure. He said: "The player was happy and he was being a protagonist, but not enough like he wanted."
In 46 appearances for the Villans, Malen scored 10, averaging a goal every 150 minutes, but completed a full 90 minutes just once. He has since found what he was searching for with Roma. Emery was a fan of the attacker's versatility, initially deploying him as a right winger. Still, Malen struggled to win his trust as an out-and-out number nine, aside from early Europa League games.
Despite Watkins' goal drought for the early part of last season, the Netherlands international started ahead of him in just three league matches, with the third occasion resulting in Watkins coming off the bench to score a match-winning brace at Chelsea in December.
Donyell Malen and Unai Emery
The Dutchman only started in 14 of his 46 appearances under Emery(Image: Getty)
Accustomed to Watkins' all-round strengths of holding up the ball and linking play, not just his goals, Villa's attack felt lacking on the rare occasions that Malen led the line. Watkins has followed the mould of previous Emery strikers, such as Edinson Cavani and Carlos Bacca, but the manager did not seem to place the same level of faith in Malen.
Malen's adaptability and different approach to the number nine role counted against him. He was arguably more of a delayed replacement for Moussa Diaby than Watkins' deputy. A few months on, however, and given the level of rebuild that Villa are undertaking, it can be argued that both parties were potentially too quick to part ways.
Building a new frontline around Malen would have allowed Villa to freshen up their game model, designing it around a striker willing to run off the shoulder of the last defender and use his poacher's instincts. Meanwhile, with young Brian Madjo waiting in the wings, there would still be a place for Emery's current style, too.
Donyell Malen of Aston Villa interacts with teammate Ollie Watkins after being substituted on during the Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and West Ham United FC at Villa Park
The 27-year-old looked good when partnering Watkins(Image: Getty)
Instead, Villa are nearing a high-profile move, worth an initial £47.5m plus £17.5m in add-ons, to bring in Jackson as Watkins' heir, as the Senegal international looks to prove his doubters wrong. The 25-year-old was heavily criticised during his two seasons at Stamford Bridge despite scoring 30 goals for the club. Last season, he averaged a goal every 120 minutes for Bayern Munich during his loan spell as Harry Kane's understudy.
Similar to Malen, Emery initially utilised Jackson out wide as he ushered him into his Villarreal setup. Both forwards also possess genuine pace to get in behind defences. Despite the popular belief that Jackson wastes chances, FBref statistics from last season show he rivalled Malen's finishing skills.
Malen fashioned more chances per 90 minutes (4.11 to Jackson's 3.4) during his time with Villa and Roma last term. However, Bayern loanee Jackson was surprisingly more clinical, averaging more shots on target (1.88 to Malen's 1.7) and narrowly recording a higher shot-to-goal ratio (0.21 to 0.19).
Ultimately, Malen was not the type of forward that the master tactician was willing to build his team around. In an alternate reality, he would still be on Villa's books and represent the perfect striker to replace Watkins - potentially saving the club up to £43.4m compared to Jackson.
However, Emery will always be a perfect fit for Aston Villa, and he is the right man to decide who should spearhead the attack as the club enter a new era.