Ainsley Maitland-Niles At Arsenal: What’s Happened?

How much has changed at Arsenal since the summer?

Ainsley Maitland-Niles has experienced a lot of frustration lately. The England international has been heavily involved in the Arsenal set-up over the last three years, often playing out of his preferred central midfield position due to injuries in the squad.

He earned more prominence in the side last season, playing a starring role in our successful FA Cup run and claiming the Man of the Match award in the Community Shield victory over Liverpool. It seemed like his career was about to take off.

Surprisingly, his playing time this campaign has been largely limited to Europa League action, and he has started just two Premier League games despite our many midfield problems.

His reputation as a utility man has probably contributed to his struggles to cement himself in the first team, and it is easy to understand why he may be tempted to seek new pastures. That said, Maitland-Niles has huge potential and must be allowed to flourish at Arsenal.

During the summer, Maitland-Niles was reportedly on the verge of securing a £15m move to Wolves, seeking regular first team football to improve his chances of making England’s Euro 2021 squad. A last-minute intervention by Mikel Arteta led to a change of heart from our number 15, with the promise of increased opportunities convincing him that his future lay at Arsenal.

So far, it could be said that the boss has not been true to his word, but the Hale End man has nevertheless remained professional, and he impressed during the routine home win against Rapid Vienna.

On the night, he demonstrated a confidence and urgency in possession that has been sorely lacking in recent weeks, always looking up and taking players on, and even notched an assist. His performance will have given Arteta a lot to think about and, considering our current problems in the middle, surely he cannot be ignored much longer.

Arteta has tried multiple midfield combinations to solve our creative problems, but the solution remains as elusive as ever. Dani Ceballos’ fantastic displays during Project Restart have fizzled out, while Thomas Partey has been plagued by injury issues since he arrived.

Meanwhile, Joe Willock has struggled to establish himself in the league, with quiet displays against Leeds and Wolves, and Granit Xhaka has just not done enough when given the opportunity.

With the Europa League drawing to a close against Dundalk until the new year, a number of fringe players will no longer get their football fix in midweek matches and will feel deserving of a place in the struggling Premier League side, considering our record in Europe this term.

Hopefully, as a result, Maitland-Niles will get more first-team opportunities and show us all why the boss was so keen for him to stay.