He said I was too fat: Former Arsenal youngster reveals Andries Jonker issue | OneFootball

Donyell Malen has claimed that Andries Jonker called him ‘too fat’.

Malen told Algemeen Dagblad, “I heard him say that I came in too fat. That surprised me.

“They had been working at Arsenal for two months when I came. Of course, you are not immediately on the same level. I was not yet in a good fit, but too fat? No.”

At 0.36 in this interview, Jonker says, “A little too much kilos,” rather than ‘too fat’ but you get the gist.

Jonker, in another interview, added in relation to Malen’s time at Arsenal, “That boy has had a remarkable time at Arsenal. When he came he was seen as a great talent, but he turned out not to be fit at all and we had doubts as to whether he really went for it.”

Having joined from Ajax in 2015, Malen impressed for the u18s and u23s so much so that he won a spot on Arsenal’s tour of Australia and China in the summer of 2017. He left that same summer, however, before getting a chance with the first team in an official game.

Speaking not long after he left, Malen said, “It was going well in England, but I still wanted to leave Arsenal because I had the opportunity to sign for PSV. I took that chance.”

Now 20, Malen has made a total of 56 appearances for PSV, scoring 15 and assisting nine.

Andries Jonker, meanwhile, left Arsenal before Malen, to become the manager of Wolfsburg where he lasted seven months, two of which were June and July.

He is now manager of FC Telstar in the Netherlands, as well as their Technical Director, after being appointed to both roles this summer.