‘Who on earth have we just signed?’ Donyell Malen makes instant impact for Roma | Serie A

Was it even a real quote, or only an approximation, a convenient lead-in to columns such as this? After Donyell Malen put the ball in the net for the second time in the first half-hour of his Roma debut, a member of his new team’s coaching staff was reportedly heard asking: “ma chi abbiamo preso?” – who on earth have we just signed?

Nobody would clarify who said this, and frankly it did not matter. The phrase was now canon, repeated in commentary and churned across the oceans of online news aggregation. It resonated because Roma’s supporters were asking the same question of a player who arrived from Aston Villa two days before.

Malen had attempted his first shot against Torino as early as the sixth minute, but it was from the 20th onwards that he and Paulo Dybala really took the game in hand. The Argentinian led Malen into the box with a pass so inviting that no touch was required before the Dutchman tested the Torino goalkeeper, Alberto Paleari, at his near post.

Immediately, Malen returned the favour. Receiving another Dybala pass on the edge of the box, he held the ball up this time and drew three Torino players to him before returning it to sender. His teammate fizzed a shot narrowly wide of the right upright.

The restart was delayed as Roma made a substitution, Daniele Ghilardi replacing the injured Mario Hermoso. These precious few moments with the ball out of play were as much respite as Torino would get.

Paleari’s eventual goal-kick was launched into the Giallorossi’s half but came straight back, headed on by one player then another. It landed in the path of Dybala, who dabbed it first-time between two defenders to release Malen on goal. This time he allowed himself a few touches, cutting inside the backtracking Saúl Coco and firing into the far corner.

Roma’s celebrations were cut short by the VAR officials. Malen had strayed a fraction offside. No matter. Within 70 seconds of the restart, he had beaten Paleari again, side-footing home from six yards out. It was Dybala, of course, who provided the assist, this time as a culmination of a team move to which Malen also contributed.

For the uninitiated Premier League fan wondering how an Aston Villa reserve could look so immediately dominant in Serie A, perhaps we ought to add some qualifiers. Torino have conceded the joint-most goals of any team in the league this season and reminded us why several times in this game, defenders alternately too standoffish or simply too blinkered as they chased the ball and abandoned their structure.

Their whole season has felt like a misadventure. Marco Baroni, appointed as manager last summer, arrived with plans to implement a four-man defence and play with a more ambitious high line, only to abandon those almost immediately after a difficult start.

Reverting to a back three was notionally a comfort to players more familiar with such systems but the absence of certain starters – Coco was recently away at the Africa Cup of Nations, while fellow defender Ardian Ismajli has dealt with hamstring issues all season – have made it hard at times to even fill one out. Meanwhile, signings such as Cyril Ngonge and Zakaria Aboukhlal, intended to help the team impose itself higher up the pitch, have fallen short of expectations.

There is a greater picture, too, of a club that many supporters feel has lacked ambition under the president Urbano Cairo and which now appears to be slipping backwards after a few seasons of relative mid-table security. Still, we might remind ourselves that Torino did beat Roma – albeit a different starting XI – and knock them out of the Coppa Italia five days earlier.

Malen is hardly the only reason that things changed this time. Dybala entered Tuesday’s cup game as a second-half substitute, with his team already trailing. On Sunday he started and was the best player on the pitch. As well as assisting Malen, and pulling the strings in Roma’s attack, he scored a goal of his own in the second half to seal a 2-0 win.

We might be witnessing Dybala’s final chapter in Italy with his contract set to expire at the end of this season. When he plays like this – a calmer, more mature version of the talent who won Serie A’s MVP award six years ago – it feels unthinkable that they could let him go. But it is ever-harder for Roma to justify the cost of a player so frequently unavailable due to injury, and who will turn 33 this year.

The signing of Malen this month reflects the urgency of Roma’s intention to return to the Champions League after six years away. Defeats by Milan, Napoli, Cagliari, Juventus and Atalanta since the start of November have quieted talk of a title challenge, but the Giallorossi remain fourth. They have won more Serie A games than any team this season besides Inter, but when they don’t take all three points they get none.

Scoring goals has been their great struggle – an unfamiliar position for Gasperini after nine years in charge of an Atalanta side who rarely, through several iterations, had a hard time sticking the ball in the net. Roma own the tightest defence in the league but neither Evan Ferguson nor Artem Dovbyk have been able to deliver what they need from the No 9 spot. The latter is now expected to be out injured until March.

Malen, who only joined Villa in January last year, averaged a goal for every 134 minutes that he played in the Premier League, despite rarely getting opportunities to start and often being used either as a second striker or wide forward.

Gasperini views him as a true No 9. Asked at full-time whether Malen’s ability to play from the wing could be a factor, he replied: “I hope not. In my ideal world he gets to play at centre-forward, with the rest of the team set up to exploit his qualities. He has the versatility to play out wide, but you make the most of him inside the area.”

It is clear that Malen is a talent identified and prioritised by the manager himself. The speed with which a deal got done reflects the willingness of the board to support Gasperini’s vision. Vice-president Ryan Friedkin was directly involved in making it all happen.

Malen has plenty to prove. He has not been a regular starter for a club side since 2023-24 at Borussia Dortmund. Gasperini did remind reporters last week that Malen features ahead of Joshua Zirkzee for the Netherlands national team, though there again he has typically lined up on the right of attack in recent times.

But he is also a low-risk gamble. Roma were able to sign him on loan, with an obligation to buy for a reported €25m – only if they qualify for the Champions League or Europa League, and if Malen plays a certain number of minutes.

His immediate impact, and especially his understanding with Dybala is encouraging. Malen said at full-time that “It’s easy to play with Paulo.” His teammate returned the compliment, saying: “Malen makes runs that make it easy to find him.”

If such qualities came as a surprise to an unnamed member of Roma’s staff, Gasperini himself was characteristically sure of his own assessments. Asked if he had foreseen such a fast start for Malen, he replied: “Yes, I expected it. I know him and I have watched him. He has the ideal characteristics for how we play.”