3 loan players that must be sold this summer

2. Ainsley Maitland-Niles

Academy products have always been difficult to assess. Despite their ability or lack thereof, fans cannot help but view them through rose-tinted glasses. Such has been the case with Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

His flexibility in playing every position besides striker and goalkeeper was originally thought of as a major asset. Many thought he could be an instrumental squad player, filling in as needed for those injured. However, the player himself viewed himself as a midfielder and he was determined to get minutes in that position.

But with Arsenal signing Thomas Partey in 2021, retaining Granit Xhaka and bringing in Albert Sambi Lokonga last summer, already scarce minutes were going to be hard to come by for the young Englishman, who failed to impress in a midfield role during his time at West Brom.

The English midfielder was shipped to Roma in January. Playing only three times, he has been a regular on Jose Mourinho’s bench. If Maitland-Niles is not good enough to start, let alone star for Roma, why should he be used at Arsenal? The links to the likes of Youri Tielemans and other midfielders are not quite a statement of the manager’s belief in the ability of Maitland-Niles to suit up in that position.

Add to that the difficulty of Tomiyasu’s utterly transformative transfer and the difficulty in moving Cedric and his potential minutes get sapped. His performances in the 2020 FA Cup run were exceptional but Maitland-Niles has largely been nothing greater or less than solid throughout his tenure at the club. It is time for him to move on.

Continued on the next slide…