Serie A: Dutch Forward Explodes! Roma's €25 Million Purchase of Malen Looks Well Worth It_Malen_Roma_Champions League

People have often joked that Serie A is a retirement home for Premier League players, as many players who struggled in the Premier League or wanted a change of environment have found success and produced good statistics in Italy. In the first two rounds of the new Serie A season, the team temporarily leading the standings is the Red Wolves, Roma. They have scored eight goals in two matches without conceding a single goal, showing excellent competitive form. The forward Malen, whom the club completed a permanent transfer for this summer, has performed brilliantly, scoring five goals in two matches. If this momentum continues, the race for the league's Golden Boot could lose its suspense.

At the end of last season, Roma narrowly overtook the teams ahead of them in the league standings to secure qualification for the Champions League. During the offseason, the club successively signed young players including Castro, Mora, Koulierakis, and Giralidi, and also signed Molina from Atletico Madrid in the hope that he could strengthen the team's defensive line. However, the most important move was permanently signing forward Malen, who had been on loan last season, for €25 million. This deal helped the team's attacking firepower continue.

This season Roma have only four forwards in the squad: attacking core Dybala, the in-his-prime Malen, and the two young players Soule and Castro. However, the true attacking spearhead remains the 27-year-old Malen. He plays as the attacking arrowhead in veteran coach Pellegrini's 3-4-2-1 system. During his loan spell at Roma last season, Malen already showed his strong ability to adapt to Serie A. He started all 20 matches he played, recording 15 goals and two assists. Roma did not hesitate at all and contacted Villa about a permanent deal as soon as the offseason began. Villa did not want to continue keeping Malen and allowed him to leave at the original price.

Malen began his career at PSV Eindhoven, then joined Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, where he proved himself in Germany. In the January 2025 transfer window, Malen was sent to Aston Villa by the club, with a transfer fee of €25 million. However, in the Premier League he could only serve as a substitute and his statistics were not impressive. Both the club and the player did not want to continue their partnership, which led to his loan move to Roma last season. Unexpectedly, this move gave Malen an opportunity to revive his career. With Roma completing his permanent signing, Malen will pursue greater achievements in Serie A.

A professional sports data analysis platform stated that Malen scoring five goals in two matches was something many fans did not expect. Although Serie A's competitiveness is considered weaker, there have not been many players scoring at extremely high rates in recent seasons. Malen's arrival at Roma has given him a stage to showcase himself. Since the team can compete in the Champions League, he has a strong chance of reaching the peak of his career with the Red Wolves. Roma spent €25 million to sign him permanently, and this fee now appears to have been well worth it.