Donyell Malen has thrived since his departure from Arsenal and is now being linked with a potential return to the Emirates Stadium.
Numerous young players have left clubs to find success elsewhere, a phenomenon observed in various football leagues. In Malen’s case, the 25-year-old Dutchman initially began his football journey at Ajax’s academy before joining Arsenal in 2015 at the age of 16.
During his two-year tenure at Arsenal, Malen showcased his talent by scoring in both the quarter-final and semi-final of the FA Youth Cup. Despite being part of the club’s pre-season tour of Australia in 2017, it marked the end of his involvement with Arsenal. The Dutch forward was subsequently sold to PSV that summer, where he contributed to winning the Eredivisie title in his first season, making four appearances. His breakthrough season followed, featuring 42 appearances, 11 goals, and five assists.
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Impressive performances, including 17 goals and nine assists in 2019/20 and 27 goals with 10 assists in 2020/21, earned him a move to Borussia Dortmund. Since joining the Bundesliga club, Malen has accumulated 23 goals and 14 assists in 73 appearances.
Reflecting on his departure from Arsenal in 2019, Malen revealed a peculiar reason. He mentioned that then-head of youth development, Andries Jonker, claimed he was “too fat” upon arriving at the club. Malen expressed surprise at this assessment, emphasizing that while he was not immediately at the same fitness level as the team, the characterization of being “too fat” was unexpected.
In a previous interview with Eindhovens Dagblad, Malen had disclosed his decision to leave Arsenal despite his positive experiences in north London. He stated, “It was going well in England, but I still wanted to leave Arsenal because I had the opportunity to sign for PSV. I took that chance.”