Donyell Malen’s Roma form puts former Arsenal decision back in the spotlight

Donyell Malen is producing the kind of goalscoring form Arsenal could certainly use right now, years after leaving the club’s academy without making a senior appearance.

Arsenal have struggled to find a consistently prolific number nine since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s departure in 2022.

Kai Havertz has become an effective option through the middle, while Viktor Gyokeres has struggled to establish himself as Mikel Arteta’s first-choice striker since arriving from Sporting CP in 2025.

Arsenal considered attacking options during the summer but ultimately ended the transfer window without another centre-forward.

Meanwhile, one of their former academy players is currently leading the Serie A scoring charts.

Malen has scored six goals in Roma’s opening four league matches, establishing himself as one of Gian Piero Gasperini’s most important attacking players.

The 27-year-old's performances have helped Roma win their opening four matches and move to the top of Serie A on goal difference.

His six goals also account for half of Roma’s total league goals so far.

Malen has additionally recorded an 8.0 WhoScored rating, the highest of any player in Serie A at this stage of the campaign.

His start places him in distinguished Roma company. According to the original report, Malen is only the second player in the club's history to score six times across the opening four matches of a season, matching a feat achieved by Francesco Totti in 2001/02.

It represents another major step in a career that once appeared unlikely to reach this level when Malen left Arsenal as a teenager.

Malen joined Arsenal from PSV Eindhoven's academy in 2015.

The Netherlands international later revealed that Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry were two major reasons Arsenal appealed to him.

He worked under Henry at youth level and scored 11 goals in 21 appearances before progressing through Arsenal’s U21 and U23 sides.

A senior breakthrough never followed.

Instead, Arsenal sold Malen back to PSV for around £540,000 in 2017.

Malen subsequently developed into a first-team player in the Netherlands before Borussia Dortmund signed him in 2021.

A return to England followed when Aston Villa brought him to the Premier League in January 2025. He scored 10 times in 46 appearances but struggled to secure a permanent starting position under Unai Emery.

That eventually resulted in a loan move to Roma before the Italian club signed him permanently this summer.

Malen later revealed there had been questions about his condition during his early days at Arsenal.

He recalled hearing then-head of youth development Andries Jonker say he had arrived “too fat”, something Malen strongly disputed.

“There are stories that I was not fit when I came to Arsenal,” Malen said. “But I have never been too fat, that really is a nonsense story.”

Crucially, Malen also said Arsenal actually wanted to extend his contract before he returned to PSV.

That suggests his departure was not simply a case of Arsenal deciding the youngster was not good enough.

Years later, though, the outcome still leaves an intriguing question for the Gunners.

With Malen capable of playing centrally or from wide areas and currently producing goals at an exceptional rate for Roma, Arsenal may wonder what could have happened had his pathway from Hale End eventually led into their first team.

Malen will look to maintain his exceptional start and establish himself as one of Roma’s decisive players under Gian Piero Gasperini.

For Arsenal, his development provides another reminder of how difficult judging academy talent can be. Malen left north London before receiving a senior opportunity, but almost a decade later he has developed into one of Serie A’s most productive attackers.