Player Arsene Wenger sold for £500,000 could now return to the Emirates and damage Arsenal’s title hopes

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Arsenal are back in action and host Aston Villa in what will be a very difficult game.

The Gunners returned to winning ways with a dominant performance against Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby midweek. They were fantastic from the first minute to the last.

That must have given the Arsenal squad a big boost ahead of facing Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, who are the last team to beat Mikel Arteta’s side at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League.

Arsenal will want to get all three points on Saturday, but a familiar face could haunt them.

Donyell Malen could damage Arsenal’s title hopes on his return to the Emirates

Donyell Malen spent two seasons at Arsenal when he was a teenager.

The Dutchman joined the Gunners’ academy from Ajax and impressed everybody at the club. He was viewed as the next big thing at the time and fans were excited to see him shine in the first-team.

However, Arsene Wenger could not integrate him into the senior side as quickly as Malen wanted him to, so the forward decided to leave the club.

Arsenal sold him to PSV Eindhoven for just £500,000 (Sun).

Now, Malen has joined Emery’s Aston Villa, and the former Arsenal manager has confirmed that the attacker is in contention to be in the squad against Arsenal.

Malen would surely love to prove a point – not just to Villa fans on his debut but to Arsenal as well for letting him go without giving him a senior opportunity.

If he gets his wish, scores against his old club and helps his new side win the game, it would seriously hurt Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League.

What Unai Emery has said about Donyell Malen ahead of Arsenal vs Aston Villa

Things didn’t work out for Emery during his time at Arsenal, but he’s still a magnificent manager.

The Spaniard has done an incredible job at Aston Villa since he took over that job, and he has already inflicted pain on Arsenal as well.

Emery has signed Malen now, and his comments suggest that he has plans to use him in various positions.

“He’s usually playing as a number seven and sometimes as a number 11 on the left side, while he can also play as a number ten,” Emery said in his press conference.

“In the attacking third, he’s always close to getting into the opponent’s box to score goals and get assists. We will need a player like him trying to threaten the opponent in behind.”