Arsenal Regret Letting Malen Go for £200k: Now a Lethal Striker, While Gyokeres Stalls
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- Arsenal menghadapi dilema lini depan setelah Viktor Gyokeres minim menit bermain, sementara mantan pemain akademi Donyell Malen bersinar di Serie A bersama Roma.
- Malen dijual ke PSV Eindhoven dengan harga sekitar £200 ribu pada 2017, kini nilainya melesat menjadi £38 juta menurut Transfermarkt.
- Ketajaman Malen bersama Roma menyoroti kegagalan Arsenal mengelola talenta muda, sekaligus mempertanyakan strategi rekrutmen striker di era Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal are facing a classic problem up front: expensive striker Viktor Gyokeres has been dropped from the starting XI, while their former academy player, Donyell Malen, has developed into one of Serie A's most prolific forwards with AS Roma. The situation raises tough questions about transfer policy and talent management at Hale End.
Gyokeres, who arrived for a fee of up to £63 million in the summer of 2025, has recorded only 12 minutes of Premier League action this season. Mikel Arteta has preferred Kai Havertz as his focal point, even since the Community Shield. The decision was made even though Gyokeres had been Arsenal's top scorer with 21 goals in all competitions in 2025/26, but his overall contribution was judged to be below expectations.
On the other hand, Malen, who left Arsenal in 2017 for only £200,000 to PSV Eindhoven, is now valued at £38 million. The 27-year-old scored 14 goals in 18 appearances during a loan spell at Roma (January–May 2026), then continued his scoring form with six goals in four Serie A matches this season. Transfermarkt records that Malen's market value has risen by as much as 18,900% since he was sold.
Arsenal's failure to develop an elite striker from their academy is nothing new. Chuba Akpom, Folarin Balogun and Malen are a line of names who shone after leaving. Akpom scored 33 goals for Arsenal U23s but never scored for the senior team. Balogun scored only twice in 10 appearances before moving on. Meanwhile Malen, who scored 11 goals for the U18s and seven for the U23s, never appeared for the first team before being sold.
"The gap between youth football and senior football is huge. Malen needed time, but Arsenal seemed unwilling to wait," said an English football observer who did not wish to be named.
For Arsenal, the decision to let Malen go feels even more bitter because Gyokeres is struggling to adapt to the team's style of play. In the match against Ipswich Town, Gyokeres touched the ball only twice in the opposition penalty area, the same as substitute Christos Tzolis. Earlier against Napoli, he did not have a single shot from Arsenal's 26 attempts. These statistics underline that Gyokeres is not yet suited to Arteta's system, which relies on mobility and high pressing.
Indonesian context: This phenomenon offers a valuable lesson for Liga 1 clubs, which often rush to let go of young players. Persija, Persib and Bali United, for example, have promising academies but often prefer to sign ready-made foreign strikers rather than give space to local talent. Arsenal are an example of how a quick sale can have long-term consequences, especially when the team's need for a sharp striker is not met.
Going forward, Arsenal must decide whether to keep giving Gyokeres opportunities or look for another option in the transfer market. Meanwhile Malen, now coveted by many big clubs, will serve as a reminder that patience in developing young players often pays off. Will Arsenal come to regret a similar decision again in the future?
