Arsenal midfielder’s transfer move not going to plan

Watching this Arsenal team perform so excellently with midfielders playing out of position and others reveling in the additional responsibility, the mood is more than positive.

Thomas Partey has been in outstanding form, his best since joining the club, and the Ghanaian’s move to a lone No. 6 has meant others such as Sambi Lokonga and Mohamed Elneny have not had a look-in.

Up in a more advanced No. 8 role is Granit Xhaka, someone who by all accounts shouldn’t fit the position but is performing valiantly in the absence of a more recognised option.

Given the form of the pair it lends credence to the decision to move Ainsley Maitland-Niles on during the January transfer window. Opting to loan him to Roma without an option to buy, what did come as a surprise was the lack of a replacement being brought in.

Arsenal midfielder’s transfer move not going to plan as Ainsley Maitland-Niles falls out of favour under Jose Mourinho during Roma loan spell

The club pushed for Arthur Melo only to ultimately resist when Juventus upped their demands, and as much of a miss as it may have come across moving someone on without another coming through the door, Maitland-Niles’ absence hasn’t been keenly felt. Unless injury strikes it probably won’t, either.

Questions were originally raised when he made the move to Italy on a simple loan, with his future at Arsenal surely up and a permanent sale meaning the club can immediately set about sourcing a new midfielder without needing to finalise his exit in the summer.

It was still felt that Roma would make the deal permanent at the end of the season, and that not committing to a set transfer fee could see a bidding war raise the price, thus the deal did make some strategical sense.

Sadly, it hasn’t quite gone to plan.

Jose Mourinho has utilised Maitland-Niles in both full-back and wing-back positions across his six starts for the club, with criticisms of his performances not far behind. The latest from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) claims that he’s already out of Mourinho’s plans, with him not making it off the bench in any of the last three Serie A outings.

Described as a ‘flop’ by the paper, his uninspiring form doesn’t appear to be turning around any time soon with the right wing-back featuring in his stead, Rick Karsdorp, playing his part in collecting seven points from the last three league games with just one goal conceded.

It’s not ideal for Arsenal. The plan was for Maitland-Niles to impress enough that he would attract additional interest in the summer when he has just one year left on his deal, allowing them to recoup a modest enough fee for the academy star.

While there is always a market for young(er) players – he’s 24 years old now – average form for a side sitting seventh in Serie A won’t do Arsenal any favours.