West Ham United are now showing an interest in the possibility of signing Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the coming days.
This has been suggested by Fabrizio Romano, who has been speaking on his Here We Go podcast as David Moyes’ men look to bolster their squad following a shocking start to the new campaign.
The 24-year-old is believed to be hoping to leave Arsenal in the days ahead and has not been included in any of their matchday squads this season by Mikel Arteta.
Maitland-Niles – hailed a “huge talent” by the Arsenal manager – now has just one year remaining on his deal with the Gunners and has already pushed for a move in the past, but was made to stay by the north London club.
Although there is reported interest coming from other clubs including Fulham and Bournemouth, Romano believes the Hammers will also be involved in the race to land the utility man, who is set to leave north London.
He said: “Also important to say for the outgoings, that they are looking to find a solution for Maitland-Niles. West Ham – and not only [them] – are interested, so Maitland-Niles could be another player set to leave Arsenal.”
TIF Thoughts on Romano’s comments…
One thing which certainly works to Maitland-Niles’ advantage is his versatility, which was seen last season as he played across a number of positions for both Arsenal and Roma (via Transfermarkt).
Is Maitland-Niles good enough for West Ham?
Yes
No
However, there will be question marks following his loan spell under Jose Mourinho, after he spent eight consecutive games in Serie A as an unused substitute.
And although the Englishman’s game time has been sporadic, he has just five assists and zero goals to his name over the course of the last three seasons, which will almost certainly be a concern to those at West Ham.