Donyell Malen: From Aston Villa fringe to Europe's most prolific scorer since 18 January

Donyell Malen has become the leading goalscorer across Europe's top five leagues since his Roma debut on 18 January, a turnaround from being a peripheral figure at Aston Villa just eight months earlier. No player in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga or Ligue 1 has scored more in that period.

Eight months ago Malen was struggling to make a significant impact at Aston Villa. In 46 appearances for the Premier League club, the 27-year-old scored 10 goals and registered two assists. Since joining Roma he has scored 21 goals and provided three assists in just 25 matches, and his scoring rate has improved from one goal every 149.8 minutes at Villa to one every 96.7 minutes in Rome. The Netherlands international has experienced a marked turnaround since the move.

Since his Roma debut on 18 January, Malen has scored 20 goals, more than Harry Kane (16) and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal (15) over the same span. He also leads the combined goals-and-assists table with 22, ahead of Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes (20), Lamine Yamal (19) and Bayern striker Harry Kane (18). No player across Europe's top five leagues has made a greater contribution in front of goal during that period.

Tactical usage appears central to the improvement. At Villa Malen was often deployed across the frontline and spent only 52% of his league minutes as a central striker; at Roma, 99% of his Serie A minutes have come through the middle under manager Gian Piero Gasperini. The change of role has placed him where the club believe he can be most dangerous in attack.

After Roma's 1-1 Champions League draw with Fenerbahce last Thursday, when Malen set up his side's goal, French football journalist Julien Laurens told Match of the Day the Dutchman had become central to Gasperini's plans. "He has been incredible since January," said Laurens. "He has been really efficient, super clinical. Malen is at the heart of everything they do with the ball."

Malen's revival is one of several former Premier League players to prosper in Italy. Since joining Napoli in August 2024, Scott McTominay has scored 22 Serie A goals, with only five players netting more in the division during that time, and his impact has prompted Napoli supporters to erect a street shrine in his honour. Former Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has also improved; since his Napoli debut only Federico Dimarco, Lautaro Martinez and Malen have recorded more goal involvements than the Denmark international (19).

Rather than altering Malen's underlying game, Roma appear to have found a role that gets the best out of him, using him almost exclusively as a central striker. That positional consistency has coincided with a return to the type of form that attracted attention from Europe’s top clubs.

For a player whose Premier League spell failed to meet expectations, his resurgence in Italy's capital ranks among the most notable revivals in European football this year.