Ainsley Maitland-Niles is ready to head towards the exit door at Arsenal in an attempt to improve his chances of sealing a place in the Euro squad this summer.
According to Mirror, Ainsley Maitland-Niles could be on the verge of an Arsenal exit within the remaining few days of the January transfer window. The Englishman has lacked game-time at Emirates under Mikel Arteta, which is hurting his chances of sealing a place in the English squad for the upcoming European championship.
Arteta himself has shown a lot of intent in a potential squad overhaul this month, having already offloaded fringe players like Sokratis, Sead Kolasinac and Mesut Ozil. In return, they have roped in Martin Odegaard as well as Mat Ryan and are reportedly closing in on the capture of Jordan Amavi.
The Marseille left-back, in particular, is an interesting option for Arteta. A left-back by trade, the arrival of Amavi at Emirates hints at a potential exit for Maitland-Niles, who has been employed in the left-back position for Arsenal during the first half of the campaign. The 23-year-old has also featured in a host of other positions, including central midfield.
Maitland-Niles has, in fact, built quite a reputation at Arsenal as a utility player. His ability to cover multiple areas of the pitch, combined with pace, aggression and tenacity make him an ideal fit for the Premier League’s style of football. Unfortunately, his route into the Arsenal first-team has been blocked by the impressive Kieran Tierney at left-back.
The Gunners also have two options at right-back in Hector Bellerin and Cedric Soares, who has been in excellent form in January. Meanwhile, the midfield unit also seems hopeless, especially following the return of Thomas Partey from injury. Therefore, the fact that the Englishman has mustered only 465 minutes of league football is barely a surprise.
As far as Maitland-Niles’s next destination is concerned, we could potentially witness an interesting transfer battle during the last few days before the January transfer window slams to a shut. Wolves, in particular, were highly keen on securing his services in the summer, while the likes of Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with a move for the Arsenal star over the past 12 months.
