Arsenal make vital Ainsley Maitland-Niles transfer decision with midfielder to stay with Mikel Arteta’s side this season – but will he play? (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Amid the flurry of outgoings this summer the situation surrounding Ainsley Maitland-Niles took a turn for the worse. After a loan spell with West Brom where he didn’t especially shine but still held his own, it was felt a move away was inevitable.
Boasting three right-backs and having signed a new midfielder in the form of Albert Sambi Lokonga, Maitland-Niles’ future felt increasingly likely to be away from north London. Factor in, as well, that Cedric and Calum Chambers have been chosen ahead of him so far this season and a deadline day move beckoned.
With Everton making their feelings felt with a loan offer that included an option to buy on the penultimate day of the window, Arsenal offered their view on the proposal by rejecting it. Maitland-Niles, in response, put out a highly unprofessional social media post. There are no innocent parties in this.
The situation turned sour and then reports emerged of emergency meetings being held between Arteta and Maitland-Niles to resolve his future, with the only offer for his services so far falling short of the club’s valuation.
Arsenal make vital Ainsley Maitland-Niles transfer decision with midfielder to stay with Mikel Arteta’s side this season – but will he play?
As per Sami Mokbel and followed across the British press, those discussions ended with the 24-year-old being given assurances of his role in Arteta’s plans this season, and he will now stay at the club.
All of which sounds weirdly familiar to what happened 12 months ago when Wolves’ bid was rejected and Arteta offered the same assurances, only for the Maitland-Niles to barely play a minute and leave on loan to West Brom in January.
Having moved Hector Bellerin on but brought in his replacement, and with Sambi adding to the midfield options with Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka ahead of him, where exactly in these plans is he?
Having clear the air talks won’t suddenly have convinced Arteta that he needs to play him. What would have convinced him that he needed to play him was watching an entirely incompetent Cedric and faltering Calum Chambers make a cataloque of errors already this season.
That, and being his manager for the best part of 20 months, watching him in training every day and seeing him earn an England call-up for his form. It’s very apparent that Arteta has taken a stand on the matter, as he so often does, and will not budge now his call has been made.
Clearly the conversations have gone differently, but will he actually play?
Continued…
pic.twitter.com/roAPp5KpWm
<p>— GOAL (@goal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-make-vital-ainsley-maitland-niles-transfer-decision/"https://twitter.com/goal/status/1432331254331023364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>August 30, 2021</a></p></blockquote>
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<h2>Arsenal make vital Ainsley Maitland-Niles transfer decision with midfielder to stay with Mikel Arteta’s side this season – but will he play?</h2>
<p>As per<a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-make-vital-ainsley-maitland-niles-transfer-decision/"https://twitter.com/SamiMokbel81_DM/status/1432736851861848072" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Sami Mokbe</a>l and followed across the British press, those discussions ended with the 24-year-old being given assurances of his role in Arteta’s plans this season, and he will now stay at the club.</p>
<p>All of which sounds weirdly familiar to what happened 12 months ago when Wolves’ bid was rejected and Arteta offered the same assurances, only for the Maitland-Niles to barely play a minute and leave on loan to West Brom in January.</p>
<p>Having moved Hector Bellerin on but <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-make-vital-ainsley-maitland-niles-transfer-decision/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-tomiyasu-deadline-day-transfer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brought in his replacement</a>, and with Sambi adding to the midfield options with Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka ahead of him, where exactly in these plans is he?</p>
<p>Having clear the air talks won’t suddenly have convinced Arteta that he needs to play him. What would have convinced him that he needed to play him was watching an entirely incompetent Cedric and faltering Calum Chambers make a cataloque of errors already this season.</p>
<p>That, and being his manager for the best part of 20 months, watching him in training every day and seeing him earn an England call-up for his form. It’s very apparent that Arteta has taken a stand on the matter, as he so often does, and will not budge now his call has been made.</p>
<p>Clearly the conversations have gone differently, but <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-make-vital-ainsley-maitland-niles-transfer-decision/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/07/30/arsenal-opportunity-maitland-niles/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">will he<em> actually</em> play</a>?</p>
<p><em>Continued…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-make-vital-ainsley-maitland-niles-transfer-decision/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Will AMN play this season? </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-117343" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-make-vital-ainsley-maitland-niles-transfer-decision/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_389,w_590/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1233976514-850x560.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Ainsley Maitland-Niles" width="590" height="389"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:590px;">EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – JULY 13: Ainsley Maitland-Niles of Arsenal during the Pre-Season Friendly between Hibernian and Arsenal at Easter Road on July 13, 2021 in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>Ainsley Maitland-Niles Will Barely Play This Season</h2>
<p>With Takehiro Tomiyasu taking Bellerin’s place in the squad as the first choice right-back, and with Chambers and Cedric also due to stay, the best Maitland-Niles can hope for is second choice in that position. Even Nuno Tavares has played there ahead of him.</p>
<p>Still, with the other two being selected ahead of him already this season, will one outburst on social media change the manager’s mind?</p>
<p>As for midfield, he’s fourth or fifth choice when everyone is fit. Where his opportunities may come is during AFCON when Thomas Partey <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-make-vital-ainsley-maitland-niles-transfer-decision/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-2-deadline-day-transfer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and Mohamed Elneny</a> are away on international duty, but even in those circumstances it will be Xhaka and Sambi as the starting pair.</p>
<p>Arsenal are frighteningly weak in that central area. When Partey’s inevitable next injury strikes there will be two reliable options only in the Swiss and Belgian midfielders. It’s worrying.</p>
<p>Yet even with all that there doesn’t appear to be anywhere for Maitland-Niles other than as injury cover and occasional cup rotation. Even with the latter point in mind, Arteta fielding a strong side in the Carabao Cup suggests he thinks strongly about lifting a trophy this term which limits Maitland-Niles’ options further.</p>
<p>None of which is to say that Everton’s offer should have been accepted. A loan deal with a weak buy option would merely be Arsenal potentially strengthening a <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-make-vital-ainsley-maitland-niles-transfer-decision/"https://www.90min.com/leagues/premier-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Premier League</a> rival. Just, for Maitland-Niles’ sake and for his employers, it’s going to be another season of limited playing time (he will still be needed in case of crisis) where in 12 months’ time he’ll have just one year left on his contract.</p>
<p>How happy is he going to be this season? Probably not jumping for joy, especially with it apparent he’s already disheartened by the whole situation by feeling the need to publicly tag his club begging for a move away.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="5 reasons Arteta should not be sacked – yet" data-url="https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/30/arsenal-5-reasons-arteta-not-sacked/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/31/arsenal-make-vital-ainsley-maitland-niles-transfer-decision/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2021/08/30/arsenal-5-reasons-arteta-not-sacked/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> 5 reasons Arteta should not be sacked – yet </a> </div>
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<p>This is another area of the squad that had to be dealt with sooner. Maitland-Niles was one of the few assets in the squad that didn’t fall into the ‘mediocre, high wage’ category. A failure of the window.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
