Can Donyell Malen play against Monaco? Champions League transfer rule explained
Aston Villa will be unable to register new players before the start of the Champions League knockout rounds.
It means Donyell Malen won't be allowed to play in either of the club's league phase matches against AS Monaco or Celtic, as per rule 32.01 in the official UEFA Champions League Regulations, which state: "After the completion of the league phase and before the start of the knockout phase, a club may register a maximum of three new eligible players for the remaining matches in the current competition. Such registrations must be completed by 6 February 2025 (24:00 CET) at the latest."
Villa are set to progress to the knockouts, but it remains to be seen if they will need to play a two-legged knockout play-off. If they finish in the top eight positions, then they will bank automatic qualification for the Champions League round of 16 and avoid two further games in February.
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Beating Monaco would put them in an excellent position to then secure their place in the top eight as they go into the match at the Stade Louis II sitting in fifth place in the table. They've racked up 13 points after six matches, which is the same record as third-placed Arsenal and fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Villa are only three points off 19th, with plenty of traffic behind them, so they'll need two results in their final matches to give themselves the best chance of avoiding the play-offs.
Malen was named in the Villa squad to face Arsenal on Saturday, but didn't get off the bench. He could make his debut this coming Saturday against West Ham in the Premier League.
Villa are poised to complete the signing of Andres Garcia from Levante, who will become the club's second January arrival after Malen. As Diego Carlos closes in on a move to Fenerbahce, Villa would like to replace him with Sevilla's Loic Bade.
