Ainsley Maitland-Niles recently opened up about his time at Arsenal. The 26 year old midfielder graduated from Arsenal academy. His performance in the youth team earned him a spot in Senior team. Maitland-Niles was also called for England national team following his good performance in Premier League. However later things didn’t go out as planned and the midfielder left Gunners at the end if last season.
Maitland-Niles on what caused his Arsenal exit
While recalling his time at Arsenal, Ainsley said it was the lack of playing time that affected his career. Maitland-Niles was a regular starter in his young days for Arsenal. He made a good name under Arsene Wenger ans Unai Emery. The midfielder showed some high quality performances earning him a spot in National team. The arrival of Mikel Arteta as Arsenal boss however reduced his play time for the gunners.
In Mikel Arteta’s first season with Arsenal, Maitland-Niles still was starting regularly. After his return from England national team in 2020, the playtime of Maitland-Niles reduced according to The Athletic.
Maitland-Niles started to go on loan to various clubs to get a better playtime. The English midfielder went to West Bromwich Albion for half season in 2020-21. He again went to AS Roma for half season in 2021-22. In 2022-23 he was loaned for a full season to Southampton. In 2023, the Arsenal academy graduate ran out of his Arsenal contract which caused his exit from the club.
Loan spells didn’t seem to have helped the midfielder
Maitland-Niles said that he went on loans to gain more playtime and improve his game. But he didn’t seem to be impressed by this decesion. The 26 year old midfielder would have preferred to stay at Arsenal. Maitland-Niles has played 132 games for Arsenal. He thinks that if he didn’t went on loan spells, he would have still be at Arsenal. Maitland-Niles has not been called up by English National team ever since and the midfielder thinks the reason for it is his inconsistency.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles still supports Arsenal and want the Gunners to win the league. He said he has no hard feeling for the club. Maitland-Niles made his move to French club Olympique Lyonnais before the start of the season. He has made 24 appearances for Lyon and is starting to make a name in French league.
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