Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is planning a squad overhaul at the end of the season, with several players set to be offloaded to make way for new additions.
One player who is likely to leave the club is Granit Xhaka, who has been with Arsenal for a significant period of time. Xhaka is expected to make a move to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, signalling the end of his tenure at the Emirates Stadium.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is another player who could be on his way out of Arsenal. Despite being a product of the club’s academy, Maitland-Niles has spent the last two seasons on loan at AS Roma and Southampton. Following Southampton’s relegation this season, Maitland-Niles is now considered a free agent and is available to find a new club.
Although Arsenal has the option to trigger a one-year extension on Maitland-Niles’ contract, Football Insider reports they have decided against doing so. This means the player will be able to pursue opportunities elsewhere as a free agent.
By parting ways with Xhaka and Maitland-Niles, Arsenal aims to make room for new signings and bring in players who will enhance the squad’s quality and professionalism under Arteta’s leadership.
Just Arsenal Opinion
Maitland-Nile’s undoing was not settling for a role at the club, as he was a fringe player often used in different positions.
The England international still has a lot to offer to football, but he would be smart to choose a role he can play very well and stick to it because his future in the game might depend on it.
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A club offered to pay around 20m for his services 2 seasons ago but Arteta refused to sell him.
Now, we are losing him for free.
wow
No right thinking fan would not ,were AMN not already onour books , be remotely interested in signing him as a new player, which means he is surplus to needs and will be let go completely and FINALLY this summer. And about time too.
Shame we foolishly lost the chance to sell him two years ago, when he was still of serious interest at “£20mill,” to Wolves ,if I remember rightly.
Jon you’re right. My daughter’s boyfriend used to really rate him and disagreed with me when I told him that Ainsley looks half asleep all the time and a liability. I said then (three years ago), that we should sell him because otherwise we will miss out on cashing-in while some clubs might be thinking he is a good player. We won’t get much for him now !
Now I’m going to be equally honest about ES-R. I thought (secretly) that he may prove to be not quite good enough for Arsenal. He was all the rage last season but I wasn’t convinced and thought that we should cash in on him too. Alot of people won’t like to hear this but it’s just my opinion.
I have nothing against the two lads, it’s just that I think we need better.
Disagree about ESR. He’s only just come back from a serious injury/operation. And yet Arteta preferred to use Vieira in recent games who did absolutely nothing especially vs Soton and ended up being a passenger. It took time for Martinelli to overcome his injury and establish himself. Same applies to ESR. Unlike AMN he doesnt have an attitude issue.
In my view the jury is still out on both ESR and Vieira. A lot of Arsenal fans are biased in favour of ESR. Although he is a good player there are a limitations in his game that he needs to overcome to become great player.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to define ESRs best position as he can perform some roles reasonably well. However, he needs to show that he can perform a role consistently at an elite level.
Martinelli is at a different level even though improvements are still possible in his game.
TH14 & David – All fair points. I’d like ESR to succeed, I just doubt that he will at Arsenal. Strangely I can see him doing well under Unai’s tutelage. Although Vieira hasn’t looked too promising, I think MA will give him more time.
Just like Viera ESR too had done nuffin when he is called upon! He is a big disappointment of late! Injury has healed but his firm has been pathetic! We need to sell him now!
20 million lost on a player who could have done a good job over the last 2 seasons .
@Dan kit
RealTalk. I see, some else gets it.
Dan – it would not have been safe to play him, so sending him away on loan was better than keeping him, but selling him would have been even better.
I would extend that one year and sell him or use him from bench but may be Arsenal already found it difficult to bring proper offers to him after that wolves one. And seems that MA does not rate him enough even to be on bench and prefer any academy player or ElNeny.
In his day, he can be useful in protecting defence, he has the strength and tackle in him when played on the left and also pace carrying the ball. He does it well against stronger teams. The problem he is not consistent and he tends to lose the ball easily from carrying it too long or risky passing.
I like AMN, but agree we need better. He is though ahead of Fabio Vieira and lokonga, both players i dount rate at all.
I would extend him for a year just for cover if no offers come in.
His best bet is to try and angle a move to Palace , Weat Ham,Brentford or Fulham.
He has baggage from Inteferring family and needs to be sort of close to home to deal with it.
He would do well at both.