Ainsley Maitland-Niles has emerged as a target for both AC Milan and Inter Milan, according to CalcioMercato, although Arsenal must keep the versatile defender as he still has a part to play in Mikel Arteta’s squad.
The 22-year old has fallen out of favour under Arteta in recent weeks, having not played in Arsenal’s last four Premier League games, the last three of which he wasn’t even named on the bench.
Arteta has encouraged the versatile winger-cum-defender to knuckle down and prove his worth to the Gunners, with Maitland-Niles believed to want to become a permanent fixture in midfield, not at full-back.
Despite having failed to impress enough to cement a place in Unai Emery’s midfield, and having played exclusively as a right back under Arteta, Maitland-Niles could still have a future with the Gunners.
While sometimes seen as a traditional right-sided winger, Maitland-Niles has expressed a desire in the past to play as a central midfielder, sitting between the attacking and defensive lines in the central area.
Arsenal don’t have an awful lot of depth in central midfield as things stand, and with the respective futures of both Granit Xhaka and Lucas Torreira still up in the air, there could be a role for Maitland-Niles in the centre of the park.
Mesut Ozil is another player whose future is shrouded in mystery, and while his agent has claimed that the German won’t be leaving anytime soon, Arsenal could yet look to cash in before his contract expires next summer.
Maitland-Niles could look to turn this situation to his advantage, if he truly wants to stake his claim as a central midfielder for Arsenal.
Arteta has shown on two separate occasions now, once having dropped Matteo Guendouzi and twice by fielding Sokratis at right-back over Maitland-Niles, that a place in Arsenal’s squad has to be fought for, earned and deserved.
Maitland-Niles can still do that, but he has to really want to succeed with the Gunners if he is to nail down a regular spot.
