Arsenal journalist Charles Watts has been sharing his thoughts on Ainsley Maitland-Niles and his future with the north London club.
This comes after Watts recently uploaded a video onto his YouTube channel where he spoke about a number of topics concerning the Gunners.
On the subject of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and his Arsenal future following reports suggesting he is looking to leave the Gunners this summer, Watts had this to say on the matter.
He said: “He looks like he definitely wants a move away from Arsenal.
“I don’t think Arsenal will stand in his way this summer like they did last summer so, it’s about getting the best possible price tag for Ainsley.”
Maitland-Niles, who is a product of Arsenal’s youth academy, is currently on a loan deal at fellow Premier League side West Bromwich Albion until the end of the season.
The 23-year-old, who is currently valued at £16.2 million, has made a total of 121 appearances for Mikel Arteta’s side, scoring three goals and providing seven assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts on Charles Watts’ comments on Maitland-Niles and his future at Arsenal…
Given how Maitland-Niles has failed to register a goal or assist for West Brom in the seven league appearances he’s made for the club since his arrival and only managed to earn himself a fairly underwhelming season rating of 6.54/10 for his performances, making him their 12th-highest-rated player for the campaign, perhaps he isn’t at the required level of quality to play for Arsenal and a move away from the club in the summer would be beneficial for all parties.
There has been talk about which position is his favoured one and despite playing in centre-midfield for West Brom, he has evidently not produced much to help towards their fight against relegation – which may in turn have forced him to think about his future rather than return to his more varied role at Arsenal, where he was largely a bit-part utility player.
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Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it will be intriguing to see what happens with Maitland-Niles when his loan deal at West Brom ends and what decision will be made in regards to his future.
In other news: Mikel Arteta urged not to play £54m-rated Arsenal star in big call v Liverpool