Ainsley Maitland-Niles is a product of Arsenal's Hale End Academy (Getty Images)
According to The Athletic (h/t Daily Mail), Ainsley Maitland-Niles is seeking a transfer away from Arsenal as he wants game time and feels the time is now right for a move. The Arsenal youth academy product has featured for 97 times for Arsenal since his early debut in 2014.
The 22-year-old seems to have fallen down the pecking order now under new manager Mikel Arteta. The last two years have seen Ainsley Maitland-Niles get a lot of opportunities and hence, he wouldn’t be happy to be benched.
Though the £35k-a-week youngster is mainly a midfielder, he hasn’t been preferred in that position. Furthermore, the Gunners already have the likes of Granit Xhaka, Lucas Torreria and Joe Willock. Arsenal are also looking to cement a permanent deal for Dani Ceballos. The team also has the likes of out-of-favour Matteo Guendouzi, and Mohamed Elneny will return to the club after his loan spell at Besiktas.
The Arsenal team needs to be rebuilt. Since the arrival of Mikel Arteta as the new boss, Arsenal have dropped 15 points from winning positions, more than any other team in the Premier League. Something that would be of concern.
Arsenal’s European chances also look very slim, with the unexpected draw against Leicester City and a loss to Tottenham meant Arsenal face a big battle as they could miss European action for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
As for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, it is ideal that the club hold onto him. The youngster has shown his ability and has shown the technical ability to play in various positions, be it at right-back, left-back or the midfield.
Maitland-Niles is at the stage in his career where regular football is needed. But Arsenal need to hold on to their future star who has shown a lot of promise. Hence, a loan deal will be a better option as Arsenal get to hold the player, while the player would get the required minutes under his belt.
