Arsenal: Ainsley Maitland-Niles can fill Francis Coquelin’s shoes

With Francis Coquelin’s Arsenal departure to Valencia and very few rumours about a replacement. Will Wenger finally entrust Maitland-Niles in his favoured role?

Francis Coquelin’s exit from Arsenal came as quite a shock. While he wasn’t receiving the game time he would have wanted, his abrupt exit was unexpected. Coquelin was never the most talented of players. But he played with a lot of pride and passion and had effective defensive capabilities.

Coquelin was the only natural ball winner in our squad. Personally, I would have rather seen Mohamed Elneny shipped out in place of Coquelin. Elneny is like Granit Xhaka in that he lacks defensive nous but is a good passer of the ball and recycler of possession. Both players also possess a decent shooting ability while both suffering from minimal pace.

Coquelin was different to the two in that he had real tackling ability and pace to boot, although his skills on the ball were lacking. He was a good player to bring on to protect a lead. Despite this, there is no point griping about a sold player. In certain aspects, Arsenal will certainly miss Francis Coquelin. But it is time to move on.

Transfer rumours about new defenders and wingers arriving at Arsenal have been filling the newspapers but a midfielder less so. This makes me think that Wenger is unlikely to replace Coquelin (this winter at least) and ride with the options he has at his disposal. The main option fans want to see explored is Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

The young Englishman is having his first real break-out season at Arsenal. With injuries to Sead Kolasinac and Nacho Monreal, Maitland-Niles was afforded an opportunity at left back and left wing back. Whilst not his natural position, Maitland-Niles excelled in his new role. Even when Kolasinac briefly returned from injury, Maitland-Niles still managed to keep him out the team.

The manager, regular first team players and pundits have been gushing about the performances of Maitland-Niles. The fall from grace from last season of Rob Holding has taught us to temper our expectations. But Maitland-Niles’ talent is undeniable, and I hope he features for our club for a long time to come.

While Maitland-Niles has performed admirably in defence. His preferred position is in central midfield. When observing his play, this is apparent straight away. Apart from his impressive physical and technical attributes, what struck me is the coolness with which he plays.

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For such a young, inexperienced player, Maitland-Niles plays as if he has been in the first team for years. He never looks flustered on the ball and it is refreshing to see a player get on with the game without too much emotion or fuss. While some may say this shows arrogance or negligence. I believe it shows a level professionalism and willingness to deliver a quality performance every game.

With Coquelin having secured his move to Valencia. Maitland-Niles is likely to get a chance in midfield. For now, he is still needed at left back/left wing back. But when Kolasinac and Monreal return I think Maitland-Niles will get game time in the centre.

Ramsey, Wilshere and Xhaka may hold the fort in central midfield in the league for now. But as Wilshere’s return to prominence has shown us, strong performances in the Europa League can be rewarded.

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With a busy fixture list and a squad prone to injuries. I foresee opportunities for Maitland-Niles in central midfield. It will be a matter of his taking those opportunities with both hands. But with what we’ve seen from the young man so far, he certainly looks capable of doing so.