Football

The real reason Liverpool transfer target Donyell Malen left Arsenal


Donyell Malen has been in sensational goalscoring form for PSV since leaving Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

Donyell Malen’s sensational goalscoring form for PSV Eindhoven has, unsurprisingly, begun to prick the attention of Europe’s leading clubs.

The 20-year-old striker has scored 10 times in 13 appearances for his club already this season, including a five-goal haul in the win over Vitesse earlier this month and marked his senior international debut with a goal in Netherlands’ recent 4-2 win over Germany.

Reports claim Liverpool are monitoring Malen’s progress with interest, while Arsenal are said to be giving consideration re-signing a player they sold for just £500,000 two years ago.

Arsenal’s academy, now overseen by the club’s former captain Per Mertesacker, is beginning to produce an array of attacking talent with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Tyreece John-Jules and Folarin Balogun the latest off the production line and likely to follow the likes of Joe Willock and Reiss Nelson into the first team.

Malen, however, was viewed by several at the club as the outstanding player of his generation with Arsene Wenger remarking that he had ‘several interesting qualities’ having included him on a pre-season tour of Asia.

When he left north London, reports claimed it was under something of a cloud amid suggestions he was carrying too much weight. Malen refuted any such notion, however, in an interview back in May, sighting a desire to play first team football as his motivation and even wanted to extend his contract at Arsenal.

He told De Telegraaf: ‘That I was sent away from Arsenal is certainly not true. I still had a contract for a year and Arsenal even wanted to extend that.

Donyell Malen scored against Germany on his senior Netherlands debut (Picture: Getty)

‘I don’t play football for the money. I never did that. Otherwise I would not have left England.’

‘There are stories that I was not fit when I came to Arsenal. But I have never been too fat, that is really a nonsense story,’ he added.

‘It may sound silly, but I may have learned the most from the young boys such as Reiss Nelson.

‘They were used to a completely different kind of football, really that English style.

‘Thierry Henry was an assistant coach with the Under-18s. If he participated in the rondo you immediately saw: this man can play. And he gave tips that really made sense. Then you tried it and felt: hey, it works.’





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