If Ainsley Maitland-Niles really has played his last game for Arsenal, then he can say that he went out on a high note. The FA Cup final was like his Arsenal career in a microcosm: deployed at left wing-back as opposed to a more familiar right wing-back role, he gave a quietly effective performance and helped to lay the groundwork for victory.
Barring perhaps Bukayo Saka, there is nobody as versatile as Maitland-Niles in the squad. From his perspective, that has been a blessing and a curse. “I’m a midfielder by trade, either central or on the wing, it’s all the same to me,” he told Sky Sports last September. Back in 2017, Arsene Wenger suggested that Maitland-Niles would end up playing in the middle of the park. “His best position is central defensive midfielder,” he said. “He has a great future.”
When Maitland-Niles made his senior breakthrough in 2014, he had players like Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Mathieu Flamini, Francis Coquelin and indeed one Mikel Arteta competing with him for the deeper midfield positions. In recent seasons, that area of the pitch has been dominated by Granit Xhaka, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira. It was always going to be a hard task for Maitland-Niles to nail down his favourite position and, on the few occasions he played there, he struggled to make the case for why he should start ahead of the many excellent alternatives.
Had he not been able to adapt and play in defence, he almost certainly would not have made 100 appearances for Arsenal. His versatility, unselfish attitude and work ethic are the reasons that he has made an Arsenal career for himself in the first place.
Versatility has its downsides, however, not least when a player acquires the dreaded status of ‘utility man’. With Hector Bellerin the established first choice at right-back, Maitland-Niles’ runs in the team have often come as a result of injuries to his fellow academy graduate.
He has never seemed entirely secure as a starter, with Bellerin waiting in the wings even when he was working his way back from a ruptured cruciate ligament and Maitland-Niles became a regular under Unai Emery. Though Bellerin’s form has taken time to recover, he is still an exceptional player on his day and deserves time to show that he can get back to his best.
With Kieran Tierney now a guaranteed pick on the left side of defence, Maitland-Niles must know that staying at Arsenal will mean continuing to play the role of useful back-up. While he could still technically start as a wing-back if Arteta continues to use Tierney on the left of a back three, as he did towards the end of last season, the arrival of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba makes that seem highly unlikely.
Arteta could well switch to a back four to get the most out of his new centre-backs, which would make life even more difficult for Maitland-Niles. He has generally performed better as a wing-back than an outright full-back, with Bellerin and Tierney better suited to the latter.
Reluctant farewell
As such, reports that Maitland-Niles is on the verge of a £20m transfer to Wolves make sense. At 22, he’s coming to an age when securing a starting spot should be his main priority. All the signs suggest that is increasingly unlikely to happen at Arsenal while, according to Sky, Nuno Espirito Santo wants to strengthen both his central midfield and full-back options. That would suggest that, as well as getting regular game time, Maitland-Niles will get the opportunity to stake a claim to his preferred position at Molineux.
Arsenal fans are already mourning Maitland-Niles’ departure which, given that he’s a Hale End lad who joined the academy age six, is no surprise. It was the same when Arsenal allowed Alex Iwobi to leave for Everton last summer though, in hindsight, that was extremely good business.
With Cedric Soares and Sead Kolasinac as back-up to Bellerin and Tierney respectively, Arteta can feel relatively confident about his full-back options. Maitland-Niles’ departure could also help Arsenal to fund other moves in the transfer market, with Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey still persistently linked with a move to the Emirates.
Were Maitland-Niles to leave for £20m, it would be a reminder of the worth of the club’s youth set-up. For the academy to produce a player who makes 100 appearances for the club and then leaves for a sizeable fee is an unequivocal success.
Despite a lull in the middle of the last decade, Arsenal’s academy has been extremely productive in recent years. Bukayo Saka is one of the most exciting players at the club, while Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe could all be involved next season. Those who aren’t able to force their way into Arteta’s long-term plans should bring in considerable fees themselves.
This was a goodbye hug. Thank you @MaitlandNiles
pic.twitter.com/tIW8VnjdRd
— Ahmed (@Ahmed91Gooner) August 24, 2020
As Premier League clubs struggle to deal with the financial aftershock of the coronavirus crisis, a successful youth set-up represents an economic lifeline.
Across London, over the last year alone, Chelsea have received around £22m in transfer fees for academy players Ola Aina, Jay Dasilva, Daishawn Redan, Kasey Palmer, Clinton Mola and Tariq Lamptey.
With Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all making breakthroughs with the first team, their academy has become a gold mine.
Arsenal have a very different academy model to Chelsea and do not operate the same convoluted loan network, but they could well match their north London rivals for productivity over the next few years.
Much as fans hate to see homegrown players leave, it’s likely to be a regular occurrence as clubs become even more ruthless in their financial rationale. Happily for Maitland-Niles, he can leave knowing that he has done himself proud in an Arsenal shirt. Sometimes, a move is best for all involved.
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