In the final week of last season, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery made a telling comment when asked about the summer transfer window.
The Basque tactician noted that he would be happy if he had the same squad at his disposal next season, in what was perhaps an admission that it would likely be impossible with our ongoing PSR and SCR concerns.
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Another key reason behind that comment though was that he has full belief in his own ability to improve players and get more out of them, and we’ve seen that first-hand with a number of individuals in the current Villa squad, including the likes of Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans to name but a few.
It appears to take a bit of time for players to adapt and adjust to Emery’s demands and tactical ideas, but once it clicks, it can lead to such a marked improvement in performance, and that has been a decisive part of what has fuelled our ongoing progression and success.
The next player who looks perfectly positioned to prove that theory correct is Donyell Malen.
The 26-year-old arrived from Borussia Dortmund in January, and he went on to make 17 appearances in the second half of the last campaign, while contributing three goals.
After being left out of our Champions League squad, did Malen moan and create problems within the dressing room? Absolutely not, and although he now had a chip on his shoulder, he understood that he wasn’t just signed for six months but was going to be an integral part of our long-term plans too as he embraced the competition for places and challenge and used it as motivation.
In turn, we got a glimpse of his quality and potential last season, and having bagged a brace and an assist in just eight minutes after coming on for the Netherlands against Malta this week, it looks as though Malen has got a point to prove starting this summer.
Getting a full pre-season with us will certainly help him become a more prominent figure in Emery’s plans, but through a combination of talent, mentality and desire to achieve, it could be a career-defining season for Malen if he sticks to what Emery is demanding from him and does it effectively and consistently.
There’s still plenty of time for things to change in the transfer market, but if Marcus Rashford doesn’t return on a permanent basis and we perhaps have to sell Leon Bailey to ensure we comply with PSR, it begins to open up a very clear path for Malen to emerge as a more important option.
It’s hoped that having now had six months or so to settle and understand what Emery needs from him to be as good as he can be, Malen’s name will be the latest to be added to a long list of players who are flourishing under the Villa boss.
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