Sporting director hits back after 'player made it clear' he wanted Aston Villa transfer
Sebastian Kehl has criticised Donyell Malen after the winger moved from Borussia Dortmund to Aston Villa in the transfer window.
Villa spent a reported €25m on the Dutchman, plus add-ons, one of five signings Unai Emery made to bolster his squad as the club fight on two fronts.
So far he has made two appearances, off the bench against Wolves and West Ham, having left BVB after 132 games spread over three-and-a-half years. During that time he established himself as a Netherlands international and a Champions League runner-up.
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However Dortmund’s sporting director Kehl, was not entirely happy with the way Malen’s move to Villa panned out. He is quoted by German website Sport 1 as saying: “[Malen] no longer really had his head at Borussia Dortmund. In the condition he was in at the end, the transfer was a good solution. We actually didn’t want anyone to leave in this position.
“At some point, the offer developed into a dimension where we had to think about it. The player also made it clear to us that he wanted to do something new due to the length of his contract.”
Kehl also questioned Malen’s contribution this season, which included only six Bundesliga starts and three goals. “[Malen] didn’t get back to where he used to be [this season].”
