Arsenal: Ainsley Maitland-Niles asking the difficult questions

Arsenal are in a pinch with Ainsley Maitland-Niles, and he continues to ask the difficult questions. At some point, the club is going to have to answer.

Arsenal‘s win against Qarabag, while meaningless, did hand a stage over to the players that really wanted one. Ainsley Maitland-Niles was one such case.

Originally slotted out as a leftback, he did his job well enough, barring a mistake or two. But it was when Zech Medley came in, thus pushing Maitland-Niles into the midfield, that things really started to take the shape we wanted to see.

All of a sudden, Maitland-Niles was firing on all cylinders, running through the Qarabag defense as if they weren’t even there (and they might as well not have been). He could have earned himself an assist or two with better finishing from teammates, but overall, we saw what he did, and we can hear the question he is asking.

Maitland-Niles could not have been hurt at a worse time. Half an hour into the season, he went down with a lengthy injury that he is only just recovering from and in that time, the Gunners began their ongoing unbeaten run that saw the likes of Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi shore up the position that Maitland-Niles wants.

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Now 21 years old, he is past the point of living on potential alone. And frankly, he doesn’t have to. he has the talent to be given a bigger role in the club, the talent to carry him into regular playing time. But the question he keeps asking, and will continue to keep asking, is where he fits.

Because right now, the club’s answer is obvious – he really doesn’t. He’s a glorified utility player with eyes on an overstocked position. That might change in coming transfer windows with potential exits, but right now, all Maitland-Niles can do is continue to assert himself.

Everyone saw how he handled the shift to the central midfield. He was brilliant. Unai Emery put him there for a reason, and given the display, he will put him there again. But at some point, he is going to have to permanently be there, and cease this “wherever he fits” schematic that is exactly what drove Ox away from the club.

The most important thing is to answer this looming “where does he fit?” question before another club attempts to answer it.