Maitland Niles still at Arsenal
Despite suggestions to the contrary, Ainsley Maitland-Niles remains an Arsenal player as we head into the last two weeks of the transfer window.
The academy graduate spent the second half of last season on loan at West Bromwich Albion, but despite impressing he could not prevent the Baggies from slipping into the second tier of English football.
Earlier in the window, Maitland-Niles suggested that he would be more than happy to leave North London in search of more regular first-team football.
Speaking exclusively to the Telegraph, he said:
“If it works out it works out, if it doesn’t then kiss Arsenal goodbye. It’s been a long journey but a proud one at that. Maybe they still want to do something & things could change. If not, there’s always other teams”
However, there has been little rumoured interest in the Englishman, with any potential interest failing to materialise into anything further, meaning that Maitland-Niles has not had the chance to leave the club as he suggested he may.
Does training video hint at future position?
However, eagle-eyed Arsenal fans have spotted a key detail in their training video that suggests the 23-year-old could have a future in north London after all.
If Maitland-Niles does end up staying, it will be interesting to see how much he is involved. I just can’t see Arteta playing him in midfield. pic.twitter.com/ZkOl3Ki7iI
— Gurjit (@GurjitAFC) August 18, 2021
Playing in a training game, Maitland-Niles picks up the ball seemingly in the right-back position, before curling the ball into the far corner with the outside of his foot. Given that Arsenal are reportedly keen to identify a new right-back, could it represent a way back into the first team for Maitland-Niles?
It would, of course, represent a significant u-turn for the versatile player, who has previously expressed his desire to play in midfield. However, with pickings slim, and having previously impressed in the role, it could just be on the cards.
Read more:
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester United | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 2 | Chelsea FC | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Liverpool FC | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | Brentford FC | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | Watford FC | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 12 | Burnley FC | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 13 | Manchester City | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1 | -1 | 0 |
| 15 | Newcastle United | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| 16 | Southampton FC | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| 17 | Arsenal FC | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| 18 | Crystal Palace | 1 | -3 | 0 |
| 19 | Norwich City | 1 | -3 | 0 |
| 20 | Leeds United | 1 | -4 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 1 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 1 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 1 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 1 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 1 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United | 1 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 1 |
| Ayling, Luke | Leeds United | 1 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United | 1 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 1 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 1 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 1 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 1 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
| Fred | Manchester United | 1 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 1 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 1 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 1 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 0 | 1 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 1 |
| Milner, James | Liverpool FC | 0 | 1 |
| Shelvey, Jonjo | Newcastle United | 0 | 1 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 1 |
| Kucka, Juraj | Watford FC | 0 | 1 |
| Gudmundsson, Johann | Burnley FC | 0 | 1 |
| Marcal, Fernando | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 1 |
| Moura, Lucas | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 |
| Grealish, Jack | Manchester City | 0 | 1 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United | 0 | 1 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 1 |
| Sema, Ken | Watford FC | 0 | 1 |
| Sanchez, Davinson | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 1 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 0 | 1 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 1 |
| Cantwell, Todd | Norwich City | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 4 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 1 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 1 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 1 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 1 |
| Ritchie, Matt | Newcastle United | 1 |
| Cleverley, Tom | Watford FC | 1 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 1 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 1 |
| Westwood, Ashley | Burnley FC | 1 |
| Dallas, Stuart | Leeds United | 1 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 1 |
| Lindelof, Victor | Manchester United | 1 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 1 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 1 |
| Iwobi, Alex | Everton FC | 1 |
| Bergwijn, Steven | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 |
| Adams, Che | Southampton FC | 1 |
| Bailey, Leon | Aston Villa | 1 |
