Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ Arsenal comments make summer transfer clear

It grows increasingly tough to envisage Ainsley Maitland-Niles donning Arsenal red and white next season as his dreams of playing in midfield are realised at West Brom.

The reasons for his departure were clear, so much so that he shunned the advances of Ralph Hasenhuttl and Southampton in favour of slugging it out at relegation candidates under the less aesthetically pleasing guidance of Sam Allardyce.

In the engine room is where Ainsley Maitland-Niles sees his future, a position he fleetingly dabbled with during his time at Arsenal, in a very similar vein to the aspirations of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain before him: ‘play me where I want to or I’ll move on’.

Mikel Arteta has his own vision for Maitland-Niles, one shared by many, and it’s not in midfield.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ Arsenal comments make permanent summer transfer away from north London ever more clear

With enough of the defensive attributes to succeed as an effective wing-back, the regular use of Maitland-Niles at full-back following Hector Bellerin‘s long-term injury opened the door for positional change. It was one that suited him, so much so that he was called up to the senior England squad in 2020, playing five times.

Call it stubbornness or a lack of clarity, but he stuck to his guns despite the moderate success, and still is.

"“Every manager is different and they may see different qualities in other players,” he told the Birmingham Mail.“I think I’m developing a lot quicker here because you’re consistently improving your game and fighting to be the best, even when the odds are against you. Personally I want to play in the centre of the pitch because I feel comfortable there and there are a lot of things I can bring to playing in the middle.”"

From what he’ll have seen, Arteta won’t have changed his mind. The writing was on the wall for Maitland-Niles as soon as he agreed to the loan, pursuing a dream that won’t be realised at Arsenal.

He lacks the end product and final pass, even if he does add agility and legs into that area of the pitch. However, the 23-year-old will never be a top six central midfielder. It’s shame, because he could definitely be a top eight full-back.

His comments indicate no change of heart, and the permanent move previously expected is now rubber stamped. Unfortunately, some mismatched outings in midfield won’t help Arsenal accrue the £20m they’ll have been after.