Borussia Dortmund fans deliver Donyell Malen verdict after he agrees £22m move to Aston Villa

Yesterday at 01:15 PM

A return to English football beckons from Donyell Malen, who looks set to leave Borussia Dortmund to sign for Aston Villa.

TBR Football revealed that Malen will undergo a medical at Aston Villa after agreeing a £22 million move followed by £2 million in add-ons.

Aston Villa earmarked Malen as their top target and they seem like being on the verge of securing his services.

Borussia Dortmund even confirmed on X that the Dutch international will not travel with the squad for Wednesday’s clash against Holsten Kiel as he has been allowed to have “talks with another club.”

Donyell Malen left PSV Eindhoven to sign for Dortmund in 2021.

The 25-year-old’s spell at the Signal Iduna Park has divided opinion, considering he was given the lofty responsibility of emerging as Jadon Sancho’s successor — who signed for Manchester United in the same summer.

Aston Villa given mixed Donyell Malen reviews from Borussia Dortmund fans

Some Borussia Dortmund fans lauded Malen on X as he nears a move to Aston Villa.

One fan lauded the Hale End Academy graduate’s profile while admitting that he was inconsistent.

“I’ve always thought Malen had one of the most remarkable profiles of a player we’d had at BVB [Borussia Dortmund] – looked incredible in the half-spaces at times. One of our best players last season. It’s a shame his time here was inconsistent, but I wish him the best of luck at Villa with Ian [Maatsen].”

Another Borussia Dortmund supporter was upset at the club’s decision to let Malen, who Rafael van der Vaart lauded depart.

“As a BVB fan, I would say he is a very good player, I don't know why BVB let him go.”

A Dortmund fan acknowledged that while Malen was inconsistent, he will be missed, writing: “I don’t care what anyone says, I will miss Malen. He was inconsistent but he was good in stretches for us.”

However, several other Borussia Dortmund supporters claimed that Malen was a disappointing signing for them, which Aston Villa fans will perhaps be wary of.

One Dortmund fan claimed he was a poor replacement for Sancho, saying: “Absolutely hated the way he played and he was a horrific replacement for Sancho but he also played under us during relative great turmoil and I think the Prem will suit him more.”

“Will definitely be keeping an eye on him even just for a laugh.”

Another Borussia Dortmund fan was surprised by the positive reaction to Malen’s impending move to Villa.

“Good that it’s finally over. But it’s crazy how English fans in particular react to it. They act as if Villa got a huge bargain. Completely distorted perception.”

Finally, a sixth Borussia Dortmund fan claimed that in his view, Malen, who Aston Villa increased their offer to sign must improve his decision-making and work rate to succeed in the Premier League.

“Can be really good going forward but sometimes, does not pick the right pass but goes for a shot. If he wants to be successful in the Prem, he needs to track back, he's already been outed for making the least amount of runs back for players in his position in the league.”

What Thierry Henry said about Donyell Malen

Thierry Henry’s verdict on Malen emerged in February last year when he reflected on coaching the Aston Villa-bound winger at Arsenal.

Henry initially revealed the wideman struggled with pressure, saying: “I saw him at Arsenal, coming from Ajax where, at times, I guess, early age when you are good, it's very difficult to handle the pressure.”

"It was a bit difficult for him to handle the pressure at Ajax, so he came to Arsenal. I had him for a year because I was passing my badges there. it didn't work at Arsenal for him. I thought he had some quality but at Arsenal you have a lot of quality there.”

But Thierry Henry went on to praise how Malen managed to succeed despite having his fair share of doubters at the time.

“Then he went to Eindhoven and played for Jong PSV, that is the second team. He ended up doing brilliantly, which I'm very happy because at the very beginning, people were doubting him. He trusted himself and his quality and with his family, he made it happen. He won the league with Eindhoven.”

“After that, he had to come back from a bad knee injury. Now he plays for Holland. He scored tonight. It must have been emotional to play against Eindhoven, a team that he won the league with almost six years ago, so I am very happy for him.”

Considering Aston Villa’s promising track record of signing players under Unai Emery, it would come as no surprise if Malen proves to be a brilliant acquisition as well.