Arsenal: What does Ainsley Maitland-Niles have to look forward to?

Arsenal are taking a hard line with their midfield configuration, so what does Ainsley Maitland-Niles have to look forward to?

Arsenal are making a lot of key decisions with their all-important midfield. They have let Jack Wilshere go, refusing to grant him the playing time guarantees he wanted. They have refused Marouane Fellaini the playing time he wanted as well.

This all shows that they have a very specific vision for their midfield. Any player that they sign on clearly got what they wanted and that may have involved guarantees.

The only players who have signed contract extensions are Granit Xhaka and Ainsley Maitland-Niles, with Aaron Ramsey also reportedly ready to sign, he just hasn’t yet, for reasons that hopefully don’t involve considering his options.

With Xhaka, it’s clear why he signed. He probably got exactly what he wanted – more of the same. For Ramsey, it’s the exact same deal – he gets more of the same.

But for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, he will have wanted the complete opposite – no more of the same, and all of the differences. Maitland-Niles has always seen himself as a central midfielder, yet has had limited opportunities there, instead having to play fullback the majority of the time.

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Yet he was one of the first ones to sign a new deal, and one of the specific bright spots that Unai Emery highlighted in his club-defining vision.

And yet in comes Lucas Torreira, who we have to assume is being given the assurances that Wilshere and Fellaini wanted, but didn’t receive.

Which makes me ask the question – what does Maitland-Niles have to look forward to? By all rights, the lad has earned himself his own set of guarantees. And maybe they were given to him. I can’t imagine that these guarantees involved a clear path to the starting XI though.

What would be more believable is that Maitland-Niles was given the guarantee of being the “next” midfielder, or the one that is turned to should the big three – Xhaka, Ramsey, Torreira – hit a snag.

I have to imagine that being a fullback was not a big part of this deal. Maybe not at all, given how stocked this club currently is in the fullback department, boasting two at each position.

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It’s all very exciting. I think we all agree that we see great things in Maitland-Niles, and if he agreed to sign back on so easily, despite the unclear future, then he must have gotten something that he liked, which means we will be seeing much more of him.

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