James McNicholas of The Athletic has been discussing the reports claiming that the Arsenal board have overruled Mikel Arteta with regards to the potential sale of Ainsley Maitland-Niles (via The Telegraph) this summer during a recent episode of Arsecast Extra.
Reports emerged last week claiming that the 22-year-old had convinced his boss of his value to the squad with his performances in the FA Cup semi-final and the final itself. It’s said that the club find themselves in a ‘difficult financial situation’ and the player has been told that he will be made available for transfer this summer to raise funds.
When asked if he was concerned by the reported overruling of the Arsenal head coach, McNicholas responded with:
“My understanding of the situation is that it comes predominantly from the player’s side, that the player is open to a move and so consequently, if he does want to go somewhere where he’s guaranteed first-choice or whatever it might be, the club are receptive to that possibility. I don’t know anything about the board overruling the manager or anything like that; I haven’t heard anything to suggest that. At this exact point, I don’t know what is going to happen with Maitland-Niles.”
Would you like to see the club keep Maitland-Niles?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
Maitland-Niles made 20 appearances in the Premier League last season, and according to WhoScored.com, his average performance rating was 6.63/10. The Arsenal academy product played in a variety of positions during the 2019/20 campaign including at full-back, right wing-back, and on the right-flank – highlighting his versatility.
In our view, it is his versatility that makes him a useful squad player and therefore, if it can be avoided, we don’t believe Arsenal should be looking to sell Maitland-Niles this summer. As per McNicholas’ comments, it seems his future still hangs firmly in the balance.