While football clubs are seldom as busy in the winter transfer window as in the summer, every now and then the confluence of talent, timing, and opportunity produces a game-changing signing. In the past 15 to 20 years alone, we’ve seen Roma land January gems such as Luca Toni, Radja Nainggolan, and Stephan El Shaarawy, to name a few. Granted, none of these transfers delivered that elusive fourth Scudetto—though Toni helped pull Roma within one point of Inter’s 2010 treble-winning side—but each transformed the Giallorossi in a unique way.
As great as those midseason additions were, they can’t hold a candle to what Donyell Malen achieved last spring after arriving from Aston Villa. After a frustrating start at Villa Park (four goals in 22 appearances), Malen found new life in the Eternal City, scoring an incredible 15 goals in 20 appearances across all competitions and helping lift the Giallorossi into third place.
Malen acclimated so quickly to life in Serie A that his 14 league goals were enough to put him second in the league’s scoring race. Think about that for a second: a player who didn’t arrive until January finished the season only three goals behind eventual capocannoniere Lautaro Martínez. As incredible as Malen’s run last spring was, it was only natural to question whether he could maintain that scoring pace the following season.
Well, with six league goals in five matches, including a hat trick on opening day against Fiorentina, Malen has put any fears of a sophomore slump to rest. Thanks to those efforts, the 27-year-old forward was named Serie A’s September Player of the Month.
While Malen was forced to sit out the international break with a minor knee issue, he should be poised to lead the line once Roma returns to action on October 11th against Como. And if the past year is any indication, this will be the first of many POTM awards for Bobby.