Sun Sports claims that Ainsley Maitland Nile’s Arsenal career is at a crossroad again after he dropped out of the first-team picture.
The Englishman was expected to leave the Gunners in the last transfer window but fought his way back into the reckoning with a fine performance in the Community Shield and Arsenal’s first few matches of this campaign.
He even earned a call up to the England national team, but he has had to drop to a bench role yet again.
He sees himself as a midfielder, but he has hardly been played in that position since he has been at the club.
Maitland-Niles deputised at left-back for Kieran Tierney against Crystal Palace and had one of his worse days in an Arsenal shirt.
That performance wouldn’t have done his chances of earning a recall to the team much good, and the report says he is considering his Arsenal future again.
He is struggling to prove to Mikel Arteta that he can do a good job in Arsenal’s midfield and has to decide if he wants to remain a fringe player at the Emirates or move where he would be accorded more respect
He has been under 3 managers at Arsenal – Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery and Arteta, yet he hasn’t been able to win a regular starting place at the club until now.
Niles, Willock, Nelson, Nkietah could all easy be sold for 15 plus million. Yes losing 4 british academy players isnt great but the sales could easily fund Zaha and Aouar which would improve our x11 ten fold. Furthermore we could ideally sell Torriera for 15 plus, recall Guendouzi and make a decision on him. Guendouzi has been excellent in Germany and if recalled we can either integrate him back into the team as him and Partey would make an odd but effective midfield partnership, or sell and maybe get 30 million. Niles, Nelson, Nkietah, Willock and Torriera just simply arent good enough to get us back into the top 4.
And Nkietah.
What is everyone’s obsession with Zaha….he is bang average. He’d be a good purchase for 30 mil yes but nothing above that.
Last 5 full EPL seasons:
170 games
32 goals
21 assists
Thats 1 goal involvement in every 4 games! Those pretty bad to average stats for someone valued so highly. Compare those to Giroud for example…
Ontop of all of that he continuously dives, not a characteristic I value.
His stats arent great because he plays for Palace. The goals and assists will come if he came here but the main reason we need him is his ability to beat his man. The reason we bought pepe was because we thought he could turn a tight game with individual brilliance and trickery but it just hasn’t worked out.
👍
Zaha is not worth the money, he is a 30 mil player max.
PJ-SA, Hurray for some reality on this vastly overrated player. I A good dribbler no doubt but how often is he effective ? Hardly ever and at that asking price and now aged 28, that ship, IF it ever docked at all(which I do not believe ) has LONG SINCE SAILED!
And hes a hot head too. Move on!
Even the top teams have players that aren’t good enough to start every week. You cannot have 25 superstars in a squad. For me AMN would be an ideal partner for Partey, but his casual nature worries Managers. Willock, Nelson and Nketiah are great squad players and brilliant rotational options.
At the moment our squad cries out for Auba to stand down as Captain and let him get back to the fears that won him the captain’s armband in the first place. Give the arm band to Holding who is in the right position to lead from the back. I also want to see Lacs and Auba tried as a 9 and 10 when ESR is off form.
I agree with you 100% and Arsenal keeps buying centre back chambers rekik Mavropanos saliba and now after pau torres about isco aour brendit is close chapter. If we sold Chamberlain wicott nasri clichy sagna van Persie gibbs why not xhaka Nelson willock niles mustafi William liuz and use the funds to the right players
everybody keeps on about Aouar how do we know how good he is it’s like Pepe he got to settle in then he might not like the cut and thrust of the EPL like Pepe
That is a reasonable suggestion. We need quality and not average anymore.
Arteta want to prove a point that Maitland-Niles is not capable by playing him out of position. If Maitland-Niles had one bad game out of 20, then he’ll be considered for exit door. Some players can play 10 bad games out out 20, but they are still considered as good players. With Arteta in the helm, Maitland-Niles won’t make it. Arteta is always looking at negatives from Maitland-Niles, Gouendouzi, and Martinelli. How many games did Xhaka play good, since his arrival? But his name comes first in the team sheet. Arteta’s mind games won’t work with me
Exactly,hd rarely has a bad game. I still say AMN with Partey and ESR infront of them would be a solid midfield
NOR ME
I would like to see him given a chance in his preferred midfield role. I am tired of people considering him as a full back just because that is where he is being played. Have people forgotten his motm performance against Man Utd?
Rightly or wrongly, it appears Arteta does not rate AMN and I expect him to be sold in the Summer window with the likes of Southampton or Wolves possible destinations.With regard to the comments on Saha, I much prefer his young teammate Eze.
It DOES look bleak for AMN now as MA seems intent on never giving him a chance in his natural midfield position. His own laid back demeanour also works against him. Even fans find it hard to love a player who appears passionless much of the time.
Time is fast running out for him and, like you Grandad, I think he woill leave this summer. And that is a shame, as he is better than he has shown but has been consistently played out of position.
I also much agree on Eze and am cold on Zaha, who is overrated and rarely an effective player at the level he is wrongly touted to be.
The best thing AMN can do for his football career is leave and go somewhere where they have a place for him in his favoured position. It is a real shame he hasn’t been given a chance in midfield, he has to be more aggressive and mobile than xhaka or Elnenny. He needs to go asap.
Agree Reggie, the frustrating thing is that most fans know there is a very good player in AMN.
I don’t agree with Jon’s comment regarding body language, as that really shouldn’t influence ones opinion… it’s what the player produces that should matter.
But in the end, it’s the manager’s decision regarding every player and, if we are really behind him, we have to support him – while grumbling about him of course.
If Wolves will still give us 20 mil let him go, he owes us nothing and it could be win win.
KEN I agree that it “really shouldn’t”, but I said it does, not that it should. “Fans find it hard” means that they do NOT love a passionless player. I said nothing about that state of mind being fair, only that it happens.
You should know by now that I pick my words with care. So many times you misrepresent what I actually say because you take insufficient care to read my precise words properly and so you make assumptions about what I mean, often incorrectly, as in this case.
If I wished to say what you said that I said , then I would have written exactly that . But I chose not to, because that was not my meaning.
100% Reggie
AMN has a big mouth, talks much about that super hero, he too can buzz off from here and join him at Fener. If MA does not rate him, so be it. I too once liked him, but his cheap talk needs to end and deliver on the pitch. We should have grabbed the 20-25 mill Wolves were offering.
Cash in as soon as possible. Anything over 30 is a steal. While I appreciate his athleticism, it’s quite clear he’s nothing special. And no, he’s not a CM, not even close.
Give him a break, he was played woefully out of position. He is not a left back, he plays either right back or midfield.
“rarely has a bad game.” ????????????????
Come on now, this is getting silly.
He rarely has a good game !
Please re-watch his performances when played or come on this year – FORGET THE F.A. CUP 2 PERFORMANCES OF LAST YEAR !
If you call constantly giving the ball anyway when we’ve just gained possession – Ainsley’s your man !
Went to Ipswich on loan to get experience.
What happened ?
Under THREE mangers since – very little.
I ask you honestly was Wenger & Emery wrong, and is Mikel Arteta wrong now ? (4 if you include Freddie).
And before the cry goes up “but how come M A persuaded him to stay”, remember pro football is one of THE most cut throat professions there is.
Mikel needed him then (purely as cover), he won’t come summer.
AMN had a couple of decent high profile games in a cup winning run, and on here he’s touted as being one of the answers going forward.
Accept it, this player will never meet Mikel Artetas “Non-negotiable” criteria wherever he is played.
But then again, people who champion AMN being in the side have probably slated Leno and can’t see Ceballos is a very good player !
I would go as far as to say that if Ainsley “oversells” himself in terms of a new club, he will very soon be “found out” – playing in centre mid’ or not.
I firmly believe that AMN is a very useful “squad ,he is a good option to have .He is obviously not going to fulfill his potential with limited game time,a loan out to Bielsa’s Leeds could just be that transition into a compete player, he is a midfield player and his athleticism in that department is very rare to find,Sell Nketiah,Willock,Guendouzi,Nielsen and Pepe but leave Torreira and Ai slay out of it please.
I started supporting Arsenal in 1999. I will come back after Arteta leaves, because this guy will gimme heart attack with his poor decisions
Another fairweather only, so called “fan”! No real fan could possibly write what you did.
Well this may sound rude, Jon, but I think that if you do not agree with someone’s view you can just ignore them. Armoury’s comment might be a little extreme, but it is no doubt influenced by our results and positions and in most cases, managers are blamed. So dismissing his/her opinion as only fairweather may sound rude. He/She might be a very passionate fan who identifies MA’s tactics as the main problem to our indifferent form, and many people do agree with him/her.