Arsenal vs Olympiakos: Now or never for Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has suddenly found himself on the outs at Arsenal, and if he doesn’t get back in against Olympiakos, he may never.

There are certain things that we will never understand, as they go on behind closed doors, and what’s going on right now between Arsenal and Ainsley Maitland-Niles is one such thing. With no word whatsoever and a continued absence from the young man, you have to assume the worst.

But how bad is the worst? Mikel Arteta spoke openly about Matteo Guendouzi and the struggle they had in Dubai. Guendouzi has since returned to the starting XI and everything seems to be on the mend.

Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, only found a return to the pitch when Sokratis got hurt and he had to play about three minutes in the first leg against Oympiakos.

The first red flag was Sokratis starting at rightback over Maitland-Niles in the first leg. The second was the continued silence that followed, and if we’re keeping track a third in the return leg would seem to mean the end.

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Maitland-Niles has been overtaken by Hector Bellerin, but as the Spaniard isn’t perfect, there would have been plenty of chances for Maitland-Niles to challenge if he were being used at all.

The door is closing on that opportunity. Cedric Soares is going to be back to health soon and he would easily pip Maitland-Niles for the challenger spot if Maitland-Niles never plays. That’s an easy situation to move ahead of.

More than that, though, if he isn’t out there in the starting XI against Olympiakos, Cedric takes his spot, the midfield still isn’t out there for him, and his next best chance is Portsmouth in the FA Cup. Let me tell you first that Maitland-Niles is not looking for a career where his only opportunities come against Portsmouth in the FA Cup. He’s here to be a starter, and the fact that he’s already had that and now can’t seem to find it is only going to sour the situation even more.

That’s why I’m saying that if it’s not against Olympiakos, I’m not sure it will ever be again. It will signify how much Arteta has moved on from him and it will close the door on Maitland-Niles while opening the door for Cedric.

Ruthlessness is one thing, and maybe that’s what this is, but it’s hard to properly assess without knowing what’s happening.