Roma secure their most valuable transfer target

If we were to put on the table a player’s impact on his team’s game compared to the amount of money invested in signing him, Donyell Malen could easily be proclaimed the best signing of the season. Following Inter Milan’s victory over S.S. Lazio in Coppa Italia final, Malen officially became a new player of AS Roma, as the 25 million euros purchase clause in his contract was activated. One of the conditions required for his permanent transfer from Aston Villa F.C. was that Roma secure qualification for the UEFA Europa League. The club has now officially achieved that, while Malen and his teammates will spend the remainder of the season trying to go one step further and qualify for the UEFA Champions League, which would represent the perfect conclusion to the campaign.

If the side coached by Gian Piero Gasperini secures a place in Europe’s elite competition, much of the credit will undoubtedly go to Donyell Malen. Even if that does not happen, Malen will still deserve enormous recognition for the fact that the Romans even reached the point of fighting for fourth place, considering they had been written off just two months ago. The Dutch forward arrived in Rome during the January transfer window and quickly became one of the revelations of Serie A, scoring an impressive 14 goals in 18 matches. That tally pushed him into second place on the league’s scoring chart despite joining Roma only in January.

Perfect send-off? Dybala hints Derby della Capitale could be his Olimpico farewell

Gasperini used the same tactical maneuver with Malen that he once applied to Ademola Lookman at Atalanta BC. Although Malen is primarily a winger, Gasperini moved him into a central striker role. A similar decision transformed Lookman’s career and earned him a transfer to Atletico de Madrid, while in Malen’s case it has completely revived his career and significantly increased his chances of being included in the squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.