Aston Villa’s Roma Loanee Is Tearing Up Serie A: Did Emery Make A Costly Mistake Letting Him Go?
Aston Villa’s Roma Loanee Is Tearing Up Serie A: Did Emery Make A Costly Mistake Letting Him Go? When Aston Villa let Donyell Malen head to Roma on loan in January 2025, few expected the Italian side to trigger his €25 million permanent clause so quickly. That move now looks like a masterstroke.
According to PSV Inside, analyst René van der Gijp believes Malen is now the clear choice to lead the line for the Netherlands at the 2026 World Cup. Speaking on Vandaag Inside, Van der Gijp was blunt: “You have only one job, and that is to pick the players who are actually in form. ” Aston Villa’s discarded striker is now one of Italy’s deadliest forwards The stats back him up.
Malen has racked up 14 goals and four assists in just 18 games for Roma. In Serie A, his non-penalty expected goals (npxG) stand at 10. 93, putting him in the top 1% of the entire league.
He is averaging nearly a goal a game (0. 89 per 90), with a total goal involvement of 1. 03 per 90 minutes.
In just four months in Rome, he has already blown past the numbers he produced in 46 appearances for Villa (10 goals, 2 assists). Did Unai Emery drop the ball at Villa Park? PARMA, ITALY – MAY 10: Donyell Malen of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio 1913 and AS Roma at Stadio Ennio Tardini on May 10, 2026 in Parma, Italy.