Arsenal: Whatever happened to the Ainsley Maitland-Niles dossier?

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been having a hard time finding traction at Arsenal lately, so what exactly happened to the development dossier?

I still remember when Unai Emery first entered the running to be Arsenal manager. One of the big ‘perks’ of his candidacy was his preparedness, and how he had plans for every player. Particularly Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who Emery reportedly had an entire ‘dossier’ about, detailing his development and where to go from here.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles even commented about the matter, talking about what a huge honor it was to be brought up by the new manager in specificity, and looking forward to a big role at the club.

The assumption was that Unai Emery actually had a plan to help Maitland-Niles develop as a player. It’s obvious why he was a focal point, seeing as how he has so, so much talent and has been consistently played out of position since he came up to the first team.

But since that time, nothing has changed. Maitland-Niles has been used exclusively out of position by the man who supposedly had a dossier of his development.

You can count the number of times Maitland-Niles has been allowed to play in his primary position on one hand, and you wouldn’t even need the whole hand. He’s been in all the same places Arsene Wenger put him—rightback and right wing.

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For awhile, Maitland-Niles just grin and bore it. He Put out a rallying cry and staked his claim as a rightback. But recently, Maitland-Niles spoke up about being played out of position literally this entire time. Without fail.

Unless that was part of Emery’s developmental dossier of Maitland-Niles, then the plan has gone askew or never existed in the first place.

We’ve started to learn this year that there isn’t much of a plan as far as Emery is concerned. His decision making has been incredibly out of whack, oftentimes inexplicable and unfortunately unpredictable.

He’s done some great things for young players like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, but the only thing he’s done for Maitland-Niles is continued time where he doesn’t want to play and no real opportunity to establish himself where he does.

Now, Maitland-Niles has lost out at rightback and is only finding time as a right-sided midfielder or winger. Right midfield is closer to the right place, but still not it. And I wonder if Maitland-Niles time is running out after all.