Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been a subject of interest from several clubs in the past 12 months.
With his preference of playing in midfield, and Mikel Arteta’s reluctance to agree to his demands, it is not a secret that the Gunners will listen to offers for their academy graduate.
Wolves, Southampton and even Leicester City have been credited to hold an interest in Maitland-Niles in the past. But now, a new team has entered the frame: Everton.
Everton are expected to make a move for the Englishman
Exclusive: #EvertonFC want to sign #Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan before the deadline #EFC #Gunners: https://t.co/OzHTtF6aQx pic.twitter.com/6JuenXZ5hY
— Lyall Thomas (@SkySportsLyall) August 27, 2021
The Toffees want sufficient back-up cover at the right-back slot, with Séamus Coleman at the wrong side of his 30s. While Jonjoe Kenny is not thought to be a long-term first choice player.
Everton and Arsenal are believed to have good relations, having earlier held negotiations on players such as Theo Walcott in 2018 and Alex Iwobi in 2019.
In the current transfer window, The Blues are willing to acquire the services of Ainsley Maitland-Niles on a temporary basis, according to Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas.
Any loan deal might turn out to be a sticking point for Arsenal, as they try to raise some cash through ‘several departures’ in their bid to land a fresh right-back before the transfer window concludes on the 31st of August.
Whereas the player can himself have some reservations of leaving Arsenal to eventually play as a full-back.
Right-back has been a problem position for Arsenal since Hector Bellerin’s ACL injury
You see, here, the RB should be making a run to help Pépé and offer attacking threat but this never happens. Doesn’t matter if it’s Cédric, Chambers, Bellerin or Maitland-Niles. Our right hand side is always nonexistent… due to tactics. pic.twitter.com/Khu81f99TM
— Eduardo Hagn (@EduardoHagn) August 23, 2021
Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier and Barcelona’s Emerson Royal are two names highly thought of by the club. A late move for either is genuinely possible if the Gunners are able to shed some weight on their already bloated squad.
The next few days will be huge for Arsenal, in their last try to strengthen the squad even more.
The transfer business of the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester City and even Aston Villa have made some section of the Arsenal faithful apprehensive about how the current campaign will pan out.
Another addition in the upcoming days will at least alleviate their worries to some extent.
Maitland-Niles former coach Sam Allardyce has already pleaded to him to embrace the right-back slot
🗣Sam Allardyce on Ainsley Maitland-Niles: “#Arsenal have got many talented midfield players. I can see why it’s been difficult for him. That’s why he’s been played more as a full-back. If I were him, I’d play wherever the manager picked me and I’d never turn it down.” pic.twitter.com/ylu7Y9oRO1
— Arsenal News Channel (@Arsenalnewschan) May 15, 2021
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In my personal opinion, Maitland-Niles is the best right-back that we have in our books. He has all the attributes that you link to a good right-back. Pacey, good at defending, good at passing. Although he has some polishing up to do in the crossing department, he’s still young at 23, and can develop massively.
Helping Arsenal in lifting the FA Cup last year and being called up to the England squad as a right-back was a testament that there is a great talent there.
But if he doesn’t want to play as a full-back, then everything can just be thrown out of the window.
Get your cheque book out Everton as another loan for him is no good for us or the lad
Probably won’t happen anyway as he doesn’t want to play rb, rather see him and Eddie go to Brighton in part exchange for bissouma as that would give them an option in the middle and a striker which they need and it would give us the player we desperately need
He’s the best right back we have and should be persuaded that he can star for us in that position.
AMN has a major problem and it is between his ears. Mikel Arteta played him in the finals of the FA Cup as RB and he performed extremely well. He was chosen to join the England squad as a RB, not CM. Experienced manager Sam Allardyce has advised him to follow the requirements of his manager and give RB his best shot.
Despite the best advice AMN still believes his best position is CM. If he is not prepared to play RB at Arsenal, he should be sold. Someone please hit him between the eyes with a piece of 4×2 to wake him up!
Spot on! He is his own worst enemy and seems to have a career death wish.
Sad but we cannot any longer put up with such an unrealistic type. He must leave for his sake and for ours.
Agree Declan.I would have played him at RWB against Man City.
The only problem for AMN is that he believes in his hart is that he is a midfielder.
For me he should go, when he plays, he just seems half-hearted, theres no umpf with him, he goes missing more often than not.
If i were him, i would go to Everton as a RB and really start to pull my socks up, otherwise all that talent he has will just get lost in the wind and in 20 years we will all say AMN who?
What is it with the praise of Villa’s business? They sold their best asset, the equivalent of us selling Saka for 100mil and went out and bought Ings, Bailey and Buendia. Young was free and Axel is on loan. Hardly pulsating stuff from a team that finished 6 points behind us (we were 6 points behind Chelsea.)
Get that expectations are different but the narrative is so surreal with Villa. They fluked their 1st 2 games too, they’ve scored with all 4 shots they have had on target. If we’d scored all ours on target we’d of beaten Brentford 4-2 (staggers me btw how we were apparently dominated/bullied in that game with 64.7% possession, 14 more shots, 1 more on target and 4 more blocked. We even won more aerial duels at 54% despite the Toney/White aerial pile on afterwards but I digress.) and we’d of beat Chelsea 3-2. Obviously wouldn’t of deserved to win against Chelsea just shows how lucky Villa have been.
As to the main part of article it is strange if he goes on loan to rotate RB given his refusal to do that for us. Can see us being willing to do it to get a fee and his wages off if we do have a RB lined up (hopefully get Trippier done) especially with Cedric/Chambers left to be back ups. A year at RB for Everton comes back and competes with our new RB? and we offload Cedric next year (Chambers is a great 23,24,25 HG squad utility player unless we get a bid that is too good although Niles fits that bill as well I guess.)
“Maitland-Niles is the best right-back that we have in our books”. I agree and he is a very versatile player. I have always rated him.
Get rid of Chambers and Soares instead.
He has a contract with arsenal. Sure contract does not specify he will be played only at CM. He gets paid every week. He is obligated to play as instructed. Where he gets to play, it’s the manager who gets paid to decide.
Any player who dictates his terms on manger only showed other 24 players how to let your manager down
We need players who put arsenals cause above theirs. If he can’t give 100% to his ability on tactics and position decided by manager then he should be moved on irrespective of talent he has got
Devotion to Arsenals cause > talent.
Despite my comments about how good a player AM-N is, I fully agree with you. Nobody is over the club and every player has to follow the instructions of the manager. I didn’t realize this isssue. I have undestood AM-N has told the manager he prefer to play in midfield. I didn,t know that he should have denied to play RB.