Aston Villa have worked wonders in the transfer market over the past few years.
The Villans hierarchy and manager Unai Emery have brought in players of the highest calibre who are the perfect fit for the B6 dressing room.
Ian Maatsen is one such player, with 35 appearances to his name for Aston Villa since he joined from Chelsea last summer.
Maatsen, who shone on loan at Borussia Dortmund last season, has now spoken about his move to Villa and how he’s already “very close” with one of his teammates.
Ian Maatsen says he’s ‘really close’ with Aston Villa teammate Donyell Malen
Maatsen, speaking to the German press during the international break, revealed how he convinced Donyell Malen to move to Villa.
Malen sealed a move from Borussia Dortmund to Villa Park in the January transfer window, and it was at the Bundesliga club where he became friends with Maatsen.
“I’m very close to him and I’m delighted he’s joined Aston Villa,” Maatsen told Ruhr Nachrichten.
“It’s great to share the pitch with him because we know each other inside and out. I hope we can make great history together.”
When asked whether he had convinced Malen to join Villa, Maatsen said: “Yes. I am very close to him.
“We talked about the club, the city and everything else, it was positive, so it helped.
“I’m just happy to be here and really enjoy it. You come here to play against the best players in the world. I like that very much.”
How Donyell Malen has fared at Aston Villa
Villa completed the signing of Malen from Dortmund in a deal worth a total of just over £20million in January.
The 26-year-old made a real name for himself after leaving Arsenal’s academy in 2017, going on to shine at PSV Eindhoven and then Dortmund.
Malen, who was also on Tottenham’s radar, has also been capped 41 times for the Netherlands and has played at Euro 2020 and Euro 2024.
Admittedly, Malen is yet to find his feet at Villa, having made just seven appearances, of which two have been starts, for a total of 235 minutes in claret and blue.
Part of that is the fact he was ill for the FA Cup game with Cardiff and the fact Malen was left out of Villa’s Champions League squad due to UEFA rules limiting the number of new additions.
In addition, Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio have hit the ground running at Villa, while the likes of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers are also flying meaning Malen is having to bide his time.
However, Malen will no doubt have his time to shine over the coming weeks. Villa will have eight games in the space of just over four weeks when they return from the international break.
