Malen with highest shot average since Edin Dzeko: one shot every 20.3 minutes

Malen with highest shot average since Edin Dzeko: one shot every 20.3 minutes

Donyell Malen is unstoppable.

The Dutch striker also decided the match against Bologna: a goal after just seven minutes and a textbook assist from the outside of his right foot for El Ayanoui.

Roma won 0-2, with the 1999-born player scoring both goals.

He’s hardly even a news story anymore.

Gasperini was confident in the former Aston Villa player’s qualities, but he never imagined he’d have such a devastating impact: “Malen is a player who has certainly raised our level of play significantly. It’s hard to expect his numbers. I knew he was an ideal player, and there was no doubt about his role. I already knew him and had seen him in the friendly in August; it’s better to see players in person. I was convinced he was right for us.”

Donyell Malen has become the new idol of Roma fans. The Dutch striker, after his first touch of the ball in his debut away to Torino, showed a quality unlike any of his teammates: superb technique combined with extraordinary speed.

A perfect cocktail of high blood alcohol levels for opposing defenders, who often get confused, stagger on the pitch, and end the match with a severe headache. Just ask Lucumì, who, in Roma’s 2-0 win at the Dall’Ara, was never able to find the right countermeasures to contain him.

The Giallorossi still hope to catch ’s fourth-place finish, and have found a true driving force in Malen. Since his arrival, the Dutch striker has been involved in 50% of the team’s goals (14 of 28). Incredible numbers for a player who hadn’t reached double figures in his league since the 2022-23 season, his only since 2021. Then he met Gian Piero Gasperini.