In an exclusive chat with our friends over at Empire of the Kop, former Liverpool star Jose Enrique insists that the decision by Arsenal to sell Donyell Malen ‘looks like a big mistake’ as the Reds eye the ace.
Enrique has been ‘surprised’ by how well Malen has performed since he returned to the Netherlands from North London in the summer of 2017, adding that the ‘fits the type’ of player the Reds need.
The Mirror have found that PSV are preparing to part with the talented young forward this summer, adding that Liverpool are ‘near the front of the queue’ for the ace.
Enrique, who spent five years at Liverpool, adds that Malen’s tally of 27 goals across all competitions is ‘incredible’ for a 22-year-old, whilst hailing the ace for being ‘very strong’ and ‘technically gifted’.
The reported fee of £600,000 may actually be wide of the mark, further embarrassing Arsenal as the Athletic have found via figures close to the deal in Holland that the fee was more like £200,000.
Here is what Enrique had to say on Malen, who he rates but feels Liverpool should swoop for the more experienced and proven Isak:
“Donyell Malen is another reported target, I’ve taken a look at his numbers and he has surprised me.”
“Arsenal sold him to PSV for £600,000, which now looks like a big mistake. He scored 27 goals last season, which is an incredible number for a 22-year-old.”
“I know more about Isak, signing him would be a no-brainer, but from what I’ve seen from Malen, bringing him to Anfield would also be an easy decision.”
“Malen is also very strong and technically gifted, especially for a player of his age, so he fits the type of what Liverpool should be looking at this summer to compete with Sadio Mane, Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota.”
“But, out of the two, I’d go for Isak – obviously the Holland league is not as good as the Spanish Liga, but Malen is another great talent.”
Jurgen Klopp could certainly do with more competition – or even just rotation options, to relieve the pressure on Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Diogo Jota.
Firmino and Mane endured especially underwhelming campaigns in comparison to what fans have been used to in recent years, as the Reds went from champions to scraping a spot in the top four late on.
Malen now stars exclusively as a centre-forward, but has played on the wings in the earlier stages of his career so he could be the kind of versatile option like Jota that Klopp can call on.
The 5ft10 attacker has been exceptional for PSV, with the academy graduate of rivals Ajax contributing 55 goals and 24 assists for the Dutch outfit in 116 appearances.