Why Arsenal should hijack Man Utd's deal for Hale End boy Malen

Updated: 8 Dec 2023 12:12 GMT
3 min read

Donyell Malen's Borussia Dortmund fate could be decided today and Arsenal would be well advised to be attentive to the situation.

The Dutchman wants out of BVB. Fed up with the general situation at Dortmund under head coach Edin Terzic and in particular with the fact that he is forced to play on the right wing, Malen is keen on a transfer.

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As FootballTransfers exclusively revealed, the 24-year-old's next destination could well be Man Utd, with Jadon Sancho potentially heading the other way. Indeed, Dortmund bosses are set to hold a meeting today (Friday) to decide whether a swap deal is feasible.

A move to Old Trafford would make sense for several reasons, but there is another club that should be trying to snap up the attacker: Arsenal. Malen, of course, is a familiar face in north London, having spent two years in the Gunners' Hale End academy as a teenager and Mikel Arteta should consider bringing him back.

Malen's homecoming

Malen is a versatile forward who can play all across the frontline. As such, he would provide cover for Gabriel Martinelli on the left, Gabriel Jesus centrally and, much more crucially, for Bukayo Saka on the right, something the Gunners desperately lack. Despite his preference for playing in the centre and on the left, Malen has a wealth of experience playing as a right-winger.

Given Arsenal's relative dearth of attacking options - especially since Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard are seemingly being converted into central midfielders now - Malen would still get plenty of game time despite not being the number one option in any position in Arteta's stacked side.

Data experts SciSports agree that a move would make plenty of sense. While Man Utd boast a measly Club Fit rating of just 58 as per SciSports' Career Advice tool, Arsenal are his second-best non-Dortmund option after Chelsea.

At Stamford Bridge, however, the likelihood of him developing his full potential is thought to be smaller than at Arsenal, which is crucial as SciSports believe that the 24-year-old can still massively improve and has the talent to become a key player for the Gunners.

Dortmund are said to be prepared to sell Malen for €30 million. It remains to be seen whether they would prefer a swap deal with Sancho or whether they would rather take the money upfront and replace him with someone with less baggage than the Man Utd man. One thing is clear, though, Arsenal should try to swoop in.