Ainsley Maitland-Niles has made it clear that he’s happy to look for a new club this summer but he’s waiting for clarity from Arsenal as to how he fits into Mikel Arteta’s plans.
After a frustrating first half of the season that saw him limited to 11 Premier League appearances at the Emirates, the 23-year-old moved to West Bromwich Albion on loan in the hope of getting more time in the centre of midfield.
While Sam Allardyce was happy to grant him those minutes, the move up the pitch didn’t aid his international ambitions. Having earned five caps before Christmas playing as a full-back and wing-back, Maitland-Niles didn’t really get a look-in when Gareth Southgate went to make his selection for the European Championships. He admits it was a bitter pill to swallow.
Given Arsenal are trying to raise funds for a big squad rebuild and Arteta is unlikely to trust Ainsley with responsibilities in the centre of the park, the signs suggest he’s heading for an exit.
For now, he just wants a conversation with the club as soon as possible so he can plot his next step.
“I want a decision,” Maitland-Niles told The Telegraph (£).
“I want some clarity and then hopefully I can get to work with whoever I need to get to work with. Whether that is finding a new club or whether that is carrying on with my training. I would like some kind of indication of what is happening. Where they [Arsenal] see me. If it works out it works out, if it doesn’t then kiss Arsenal goodbye.
“It’s been a long journey but a proud one at that. Maybe they still want to do something and things could change. If not, there’s always other teams.
“It would be easier to do it now than waiting for pre-season to kick in and everything is super busy and they can’t answer their phones because they are doing too much work. You know how the football world works.
“If I was to get a phone call from someone at Arsenal and they said they’d like a meeting tomorrow, then it would be easier that way.
“They can tell me whether they’ve got plans to play me in the future or if they want to sell me. I’ve heard they want to make some space [in the squad] and some money so I’m not sure.”
Whatever the outcome of the conversation, Maitland-Niles says he’s mentally prepared.
“You have to get your head around what you might not want to hear and be prepared if that’s the case,” he says.
“Be a man about the situation. If it’s not going to work there then there’s always other clubs that will take you and I like to think that I’ve done enough in the Premier League in the last half of the season to have other clubs interested in me.”
Leicester and Southampton were both interested in Maitland-Niles in January and Wolves made a formal offer to the Gunners that was rejected last summer. Given his versatility and homegrown status, he won’t be short of suitors.
Will actually be sad to see this lad go, if he leaves. I’ve always said he is a good squad player, but clearly he wants – and deserves – regular first XI football.
I’ve still never seen anyone in an Arsenal shirt approach a penalty as coolly as him – maybe Michael Thomas, who sometimes missed, much to the wrath of George Graham.
Hope AMN stays, but if he leaves I wish him well. He’s a good lad.
I remember the ice cold Lauren going for that penalty kick too. Just saying
No, you’re quite right.
That late late penalty against the Scum bags at Highbury in the 2002 title run in..
I don’t think I have ever been so relieved to see a penalty hit the back of the net. The Spuds knew they had a chance to fuck up our title bid – and they blew it, the muggy cunts. Beautiful memories.
Agree. Sadly I think he’s just not quite the right fit for Arteta.
If he had a less than perfect attitude but was super keen to play right back he may have a future. And if he had an exemplary attitude but didn’t want to play right back he might have a future.
But the combination of feeling half hearted about full back and perhaps not working as hard as he could means it’s inevitable that we part ways.
I don’t think Arteta’s the right fit for him. AMN played his role in 2019-20, did what was asked of him well, and didn’t get his shot at breaking into Arsenal’s lightest midfields in years.
Definitive assessments of his quality aside, if it comes down to whether he’s good enough or whether Arteta doesn’t know how to judge players, the answer is clear in my head.
His been seen as a fullback by Wenger, Emery, Arteta AND big Sam… the latter isnt making those comments about going back tobArsenal and doing whats asked of the player if he is truely convinced that he is best used within a midfield. I know Leicester were said to be interested but would they pick him over Ndidi or Tielermans? Neither… he would have been utility man asked to fill in at full back as and when required, just the same as at Arsenal. Could easily be one of the first names on the teams sheet as right back by… Read more »
The guy can’t pass man, how’s be going to play CM? Within about 2 games you’d be complaining about misplaced passed.
I think it was Alex Ferguson who said you never stop a young player who is doing well or something. Arteta dropped this guy at the time he performed well enough to get a call-up for the national team. The boy doesn’t want to play under Arteta anymore.
Yup I totally get you there sir. Reading between the lines (and I could be totally off) Mikel seemed to imply that he’d like a bit more from Ainsley in training. He’s trying to set a culture and clearly ruling with an iron fist. As regards the “dropping” (and I’m not saying I agree with it) but I think we have to get used to rotation as a function of Arteta’s management style. He’s done it so often that I just think it’s one of those things he’s seen Pep do and wants to emulate it. He’s not an idiot.… Read more »
Really hard to pin down Arteta’s style as he has so many players of middling talent. At this point he needs to see who is motivated to give his best. When he has 11 horses, he may look like a different manager.
Kim Källström?
Yes, another one. Thank fuck for that one as well. 👍🍺
Only kicked the ball for Arsenal about 8 times… but one of those kicks helped get us into an FA cup final
Hear hear – may just be a case of him being cursed by his own versatility. Never given the time and space to carve out his best position.
I really like AMN, but it seems many of us have forgotten that we’ve seen him a handful of times in CM and he definitely did not instill confidence in me. Was too risky and a bit nonchalant on the ball in our own half or with most of the team ahead of him. Arteta clearly prefers CM with calm and intelligent possession over risk taking. I did think AMN looked solid as a RB and even LB. In fact I thought he was even better than Bellerin and could have been out first choice RB, but he just didn’t… Read more »
Awesome Sauce 25, don’t Arteta’s instructions for our midfield worry you though?
We might not see an increase in our goal tally, especially from midfield, if we continue playing the safe possession game. Midfielders like Ward-Prowse, De-Bruyne, De-Paul and Neves have below average pass-completion rates because they take more risk passing forward.
AMN seems to progress the ball more through movement and dribbling. Maybe that’s why Arteta prefers him as full-back. Apparently, statistically he has a similar playing style to other dribbling midfielders like Mount, Willock, Aouar and Llorente.
The thing is, he was – and he has been begging to play elsewhere ever since.
He just said Kiss Arsenal Goodbye – I am not even slightest bit sad to see him go. He had the chance to play regularly at right back and claim that position. He didnt and I dont think he is a good enough midfielder. Sell him and invest that money.
Mate, he joined Arsenal at age six. That’s 17 years he’s trained at our club. You’d have to have the blackest heart to not be a little conflicted about his departure.
Just bring him back and start him at RB. Bellerin was my favorite Arsenal player a few years back, but both he and Arsenal need a change of scenery. Niles should take a page from Victor Moses’ book and make the RB spot his.
To be honest, I don’t think the lad wants to play for Arteta – not necessarily The Arsenal.
When you consider he has also had to go public seeking some form of clarification over his future, it doesn’t say an awful lot for our infamously shoddy administration.
A player should reserve the right to play where he thinks he’ll play best – and if that means disagreements with management and seeking a different club, then so be it.
Or it’s a simple come and get me plea amd nothing to do with us
The season practically just ended. He didn’t ’have to’ go public this early, he chose to. Unfortunately for Ainsley, I think blogs hit it on the head – he’s a transfer window insurance policy. If we find a suitable right back, he could go. If not, he could stay. Getting a fee for Bellerin far and away trumps AMN, and if we just up and sell both, any RB holders know they have us over a barrel. Likewise, with AMN being fairly versatile the club could hold out for a decent fee from a suitor. The old ‘we don’t really… Read more »
And if he stays, and chose to knuckle down and get serious about fullback / wingback, he could be a good player for us. That’s the sadness of it all.
Touchy eh?
AMN moving on loan, maybe killed our Europa League hopes. Tierney got injured, Cedric proved to be s**t, and Xhaka had to move to LB, and got injured. I know a one legged KT replaced Xhaka, but it did not help us. We lost LB and CM in the most imp game of the season. And now we can only wonder, what if AMN had stayed to play at LB…. Not sure, if I want AMN to stay at Arsenal, but considering Bellerin is “out”, and Cedric is s**t at LB or RB, we need full backs. I would keep… Read more »
Mate, make no mistake, Arteta and Arteta alone cost us that Europa Semi Final tie by playing a false nine and no recognised striker until a few minutes from time (in a game where we needed advantage goals) in the Away 1st Leg.
Utter stupidity.
Cedric was pretty decent when given the chance. Not his fault out manager Is a knobhead who give anyone a run of games
Taking Xhaka out of cm and not dropping Saka a few yards further back is what cost us.
Sounds fed up. Don’t blame him one bit.
More like clarity than fed up
How has Arteta or Edu not had a convo with him about his future? He is completely right to be annoyed.
If that were the case, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
Proactive….?
Reactive Central, that’s us.
Maybe Buendia did not receive a follow-up call.
They have been busy firing people and scouting department. Yeah….ruin yourself signing players from powerful agents like mendes. But the kroenkes deserve this lot, who the f fires scouting department.
Dont expect a big window…with income from stadium reduced, matchday reduced…and knowing kroenkes…this might be a miserable window after all.
The buendia fiasco is what we should expect this window. A target for 2-3 years missed because he saw villa as a more attractive option or we gave up over an extra 3m quid. Either way more utter incompetence. Lokonga is target we should be looking at (young, talented, with a massive potential to grow and expand his value), but now it seems like we’ll drop a huge amount on neves (middling age and very expensive – he’s going to be about the same price or more and the same age as xhaka when he signed). Is neves even better… Read more »
Who knows but suggestions
Nkunku
solomon
Buendia older than Neves at 24..(middle age..not so sure when you are an old boy like me:) )
Neves v similar to Xhaka but interceptions lot higher…so not all bad…for me Xhaka been pretty good over last 6 months… I wish AMN had his passing ability and attitude
Long way to go keep calm plenty of good players out there
Sure, buendia and Neves are similar age, and similar cost (perhaps even more for Neves), but quality buendia types are much harder to find than neves/xhaka types. The skill and technical quality of such players are rare, and if they have then they don’t always have the drive, determination and especially the workrate of buendia. As I’ve said before I think buendia is better than Odegaard and I rate Odegaard. Mostly because of his work rate and two-footedness. Can we really drop 70-80M On combined on both positions? Take lokonga example. Seems we could get him for about 15m, that… Read more »
Buendia is an attacker / winger, and Neves is a midfielder. Why are we comparing them? They’re basically entirely different.
Age….context of post previous ..nothing more!
Some of us have reverted to the whining mode
Lokonga…no idea what he is like and stats available don’t show a lot of experience…for me too much of a gamble unless the club knows something. AMN would be better. Neves with Azeez coming through looks astute, level headed and planning ahead. Buendia would have been great..but if the club don’t think he is worth it …. Odegaard…agree looks great and the club knows he fits and looked to be getting better … no need to gamble… At the moment there are better organised clubs than Arsenal…but there are also worse…to my mind it is looking in better shape than… Read more »
Hogwash.
There are way more mobile creative AMs than dependable CMs who can pass, defend and drive the team onwards.
Latin America is full of them.
Buendia is a missed opportunity (perhaps as big as Kante) but he is no upgrade on Xhaka.
We need personality, mobility and a clear improvement on Xhaka’s passing abilities.
Honestly all this sniping on Xhaka is endless and pointless. We haven’t had a decent replacement in all this while despite looking all over. Partey who was Vieira reborn has done diddly squat, Torriera who was Kante Part Deux has done nada, Matteo has imploded. Granit has meanwhile played LB, sacrificed for the team, won confidence of multiple managers despite being booed and is now leaving with his head held high. He wasn’t the CM we craved but he wasn’t half as bad as fans made him out to be. If whoever we bring in has his personality I’d sign… Read more »
Club is run by amateurs that is how.
I love AMN and would be sad to see him go, but is he really justified in being angry with the club? He’s gotten ample playing time, and the idea that he should be a midfielder was something personal to him. Everyone who’s ever seen him play understands that it’s his versatility and athleticism which make him valuable, not his midfield prowess. He’s rejected being a utility player, probably against his best interests. There’s no one really at fault for it, it’s about as natural a parting of the ways as you’ll find.
I agree. I think he had a really good chance at nailing down the right-back position. I really think he’s hurt his career (somewhat) in insisting on playing in midfield. From what I’ve seen, that really isn’t his best position at all. Also, the modern right-back is just as attacking and glamorous as a midfielder.
Lauren carved out a fantastic career accepting right back might be better than challenging Pat and Gilberto and edu for midfield spot. Saw couple of games with maitland niles in midfield for for fat Sam and he had very poor games. Wish him the very best going forward.
Exactly, and there are scores of other examples of players having to play in positions they did not like only to excel in them later. Keown started as a striker, Petit was a leftback, even Pele enjoyed playing as goalie when he was young. Good thing someone forced him to play in that no.10 position.
You watched a different amn to me, I watched 90% of his games and he was better than all but 2 other wba players.
okay and pereira were his level. But that’s why they went down 3 lower pl level players and the rest championship.
I think he could be a good central midfielder. It certainly wouldn’t have hurt to test that idea this season, given all the other galaxy brain solutions that were tried.
Watch us sell him for 4 quid and a pickled egg while Liverpool sell an uncapped youth prospect for 8 times what we end up getting.
Also, credit for him for sounding so mature about the whole situation
Yep, well said. I was thinking the same thing.
A refreshing change from the usual ‘What About Me?’ salt fests which have now become par for the course.
Well, yes. But expecting Arteta/Edu to tell him their plans before the window opens? Doesn’t seem feasible. Until there’s movement (starting tomorrow)– most players in AMN’s spot won’t have an idea as to where they’ll be next season.
They can tell him that though.
That couldn’t possibly go wrong.
Yeah, I mean how could they tell him about their plans when they have no fucking idea what they are!?
£32 and 8 pickled eggs?
I say keep the pickled eggs for back up rotation
🤣🤣🤣
Right we need someone to replace the pickled eggs in defense we sent out in 2021 already… Mustafi, papá, Luiz,… Kola… Oh wait…
Can’t see him being much more than a utility sub with us this year because of no Europe.
Can’t blame him if we wants to move on, but I still feel he could have played RB or RWB for us, but he doesn’t seem to fancy that position…
Exactly. I don’t see him as a midfielder. Not one for a team with designs of being higher up in the league.
This is the regret I have with him. But it feels like this one is at the end of the road now.
Will be a shame to see him go given he could have grabbed Hector’s position from him this past season if he had so desired… but he’s a pro and has a right to pursue his own ambitions. Good luck to the birdcatcher wherever he ends up.
Can you explain the birdcatcher reference for the rest of us who are more culturally backward 🙂
That’s his nickname, due to getting a lot of attention from parrots during a day out with the Arsenal team
I think for some strange reason he’s referring to himself.
he went on a preseason trip somewhere (i forgot) and in one video he is shown holding a bird (i forgot again), and the video became popular
hence the name ‘birdcatcher’
Singapore or Malaysia I beleive
https://twitter.com/throwbackafc/status/1166953678315675648?lang=en
Here’s the vid
Another player somewhat hampered by the gift of versatility. He could be of use to Arsenal as a back-up in a number of positions but it’s not surprising he wants some certainty. Good luck to him. He’s always worked hard for us.
More like hampered by his own inflexibility. It has been obvious for a while now that his managers thinks he best fits into the Right/Wingback position, but he kept gunning to play in the middle, instead of trying to lock down the RB position.
I think Saka has proven that if you have the required quality, playing multiple positions is not a problem, and can even be a plus.
I’d agree with that. He definitely needed some defensive coaching (try not to think about the EL final against Chelsea), but the opportunity was there if he got his head down and worked at it.
But he didn’t, and his chance of a good career at Arsenal has probably gone. It’s maddening when you think about it, midfield/winger to top-class full/wing back is such a well-worn path. Just at Arsenal we’ve had Lauren, Cole, and Flamini as examples.
We almost signed that chap from Valencia who found out he was coming to play right back and he bolted
Yes He express his desire to play in different position but still played well on left or right back in most of the games. I think he should leave in summer and play football every week so we could judge him properly. Personally I would love see him staying and play more but it is what it is
Oops, forgot Eboue 😉
He’s hampered by his 77% passing rate and so is Willock.
Xhaka’s is 90%
Partey 87%
Elneny 93%
Odegaard 91%
Ceballos 87%
Smith Rowe 88.7%
They are well off the standard Arteta wants from his midfielders
But 100% of Elneny’s go sideways or backwards
It doesn’t matter, Arteta wants to keep the ball
Clearly.
Somebody should tell him that you need to shoot the ball to score.
Getting the thing over the half way line every now and then would help……
Elneny is an exceptional squad player. Comes in and does a great job (albeit a little limited). Exceptional work rate. Cheap contract. Never complains. Great character (and fits great with partey). IMO we should 100% keep him as a squad iron this summer. Love Mo, I would even be happy for him to sign another similar deal.
Then? AMN’s first-touch is too heavy to play centrally. Partey and Elneny are almost spotless receiving that out-of-the-back pass from Leno.
That as well, i just don’t think he’s an Arteta player. Honestly i think Arteta’s vision is to play a similar style to City and that is to dominate the ball. If you look at the stats City don’t have a single player with a passing percentage below 80%, with 9 outfield players in the 90’s, so i expect to see our squad target players in that mould. I just don’t see where AMN fits in that, especially in midfield and the same goes for Willock, who i would consider a plan b player. I also don’t see Arteta as… Read more »
Maybe he does less of short-distance sideway passes.
Arteta would rather keep the ball going backwards than lose it going forwards, IMHO
Are those numbers for Willock and AMN in an Arsenal team? Genuine question.
I think it makes a difference?
They rise to 78% in an Arsenal team
What percentage of those passes are sideways or backwards…….?
Bukayo Saka also has that gift of versatility. Its not hampered him, its actually elevated him. When we had an issue on the right, with Pepe still misfiring, and Willian not firing at all, it was Bukayo’s versatility that bailed us out.
AMN can play in a number of positions, but can truly excel in 2 – RB/RWB. I’d grab it if I were him, with Hector on the outs. Look at Lauren, he came in as a midfielder, got converted to RB – and became an invincible.
He’s 24 in August, he’s past the age where he needs to start playing competitive football consistently
I like him, and wouldn’t be against giving him a chance playing at right back
But if there’s no plans to play him, then hopefully we can get someone to give us £15-£20 million
Strange that we’ve not spoken to him, because if our plan is to cash in, then the quicker we do that, the better
None of us are privy to the back-room conversations that go on, so can only really go by what’s reported (for whatever that’s worth!). But it seems he really does not want to play RB. And yet that’s where the club sees his future. You have to feel that the gap left by Hector would allow him to seriously compete for that spot if he put his head down – however it seems he’s not keen, which makes this really his own decision and that’s fair enough. And seeing what certain ‘right backs’ (Cancelo for one) have done with that… Read more »
He’s absolutely right, as a young man myself nothing is as frustrating as being kept in the dark regarding your future, He’s a young millionaire athlete though so atleast he’s got that going for him.
I find this comment so funny in the way you say ‘as a young man myself’, as if the majority of people reading this site aren’t currently or at some point were young men.
Well everything is upto our own interpretation jack
Just makes me think of Harry Enfield!
I like him, he’s got swagger that’s for sure. He makes a penalty run up look like a CBeebies bedtime story.
His versatility is impressive, but I don’t think his ambition of being a midfielder for a team like Arsenal is realistic. Way to inconsistent, and lapse in concentration at key moments are his major issues. He is a midtable talented player. We should sell him to raise funds for better players
If he agreed to continue playing full-back/wing-back, I’m sure he would be in the team and be seen as the heir to Hector. Thing is, he doesn’t want that role. In England, that’s the role he was given. When Wolves bid for him last summer, that was the role they had in mind for him. Only West Brom gave him a midfield role, and even Big Sam (no lover of Arsenal) said at the end of the season, he should play where ever his manager asks him to play. Not a ringing endorsement of his ability in the middle of… Read more »
When he does have that meeting with Arsenal, I picture him walking into that room with that killer calmness he takes penalties with! Haha
Maybe that penalty walk is the problem. Arsenal has called many times but his mobile has been in the charger and it’s way over on the other side of the room and AMN does the penalty walk to get it but by the time he gets there it’s been 20 rings and Arsenal now thinks he is ducking their calls…..
I admire the way he laid it on the line with Arsenal. He could be our starting right back but that’s not what he wants. Others here are correct that he is not a top six level central midfielder, and that’s what we need now. What a job he did at left back in our Cup run last year! He deserves our thanks and well wishes, and I’m sure he’s grateful for the support from AFC and its supporters, and if he leaves it will be amicable all around.
If he does go it will be a terrible shame, he is a very talented footballer and is blessed with an absolutely amazing temperament.
It’s just a shame he couldn’t use that to take an objective view on the cutthroat business that is football, realise the golden opportunity he was offered and seize it with both hands.
I feel that his temperament has been a bit of a double-edged sword for him – he can just drift away at moments during games as a result of that ultra laid-back attitude. To get to the top, he will have to develop a killer instinct and that 110% focus that every single truly great athlete – in any sport – has.
But Maitland-Niles doesn’t have a laid back attitude. At West-Brom he called an impromptu team meeting with his teammates before the Chelsea game?
He was hoping to galvanise them in their relegation fight because he felt they had given up. They did manage to beat Chelsea and Southampton after.
If he was truly laid-back, why would he as a loanee even bother trying to motivate. This lassez-faire impression is just an oft-repeated narrative that seems to have stuck.
Wonder why 🤔
I don’t think he’s an Arteta player nor do i think Willock is either, otherwise he would have played them. My impression is Arteta has very specific requirements for the midfielders he wants and don’t think either of them possess those qualities, therefore i think both them fall into the ruthless squad culling bracket Arteta spoke about. People talk about using Willock as a something different super-sub but i just don’t see Arteta as that type of manager. Guardiola and Man City don’t have a chaos maker player and i just don’t see that type of player in Arteta’s squad… Read more »
Guardiola could definitely have used that kind of player in the CL final!
I would suggest that AMN join Wolves in a swap for Neves. AMN has s talent d but he is one of several we have who play the same way.
I think AMN for Neves would be the deal of the window! Doubt it’ll happen without a hefty make-good from our side, though.
Wolves value Neves at £80m, somehow AMN is only valued at £15m so I doubt a straight swap will occur.
They might as well also throw in Raul Jimenez….
As we’ve had with several players we let go of last season, it’s not healthy for the squad to have someone around who is sulking about their playing time
I like amn. Arteta’s got a good tactic for him where he plays as RB bit drifts in to CM. That also suits AMN’s interest in playing the CM role. A pity he’s leaving.
Cancelo showed the genius of that ‘drift’, when the player has the ability, engine and vision to do it. Does AMN though? Would be fun to find out… and if Mik is still the Pep disciple most think he is, he may just try it.
Just like James and Arsebligs have mentioned in the podcast, he’s going to look back and say to himself, “I wish I took my chances as a full back”.
Wish him best of luck wherever his path takes him.
I always liked AMN, cool head on those shoulders. I know everything is pointing at an exit for him and I can’t help but feel a little sad.
However, along with Willock, he’s yet another homegrown player we’re talking about leaving the club. With the rules about homegrown players in the registered squad, are we putting ourselves in a bit of a troublesome hole?
Assuming Arteta has a plan..
if guendouzi had a pr team, media training, or could control his temper it would sound like this
Not sure if it’s those that advise him, but even this approach of airing such chat seems off. He’d be out on his ear if I managed him, you can’t go around being inflexible about the role you play and then having what should be internal discussions, externally, even if you don’t feel you’re getting the attention you desire.
A real shame as I think if he got his head down and worked hard, was more flexible in where he played, he’d be a great player with regular minutes.
Good luck man, wherever you end up!
He would be a good right back but doesn’t want to be. Shame. If Wolves are still interested I wonder if there’ll be some sort of swap deal with Neves.
wonder if they would agree to a swap deal for Nelson Semedo
Far too casual and careless (at times) on the pitch. Wish him all the best, but won’t be missed.
Ainsley has been really unfortunate because of his versatility. Sometimes it just doesn’t help a career.
On his day he can be far better than any of our right backs and the best back up on the left too. He spent too much time in defence to get a game in a very poor midfield.
Based on his KPIs, in a reduced squad, he would make an excellent 3rd or 4th choice central midfielder behind Partey and 1 other (hopefully Savanier) and an excellent back up right wingback, behind a new right wingback (hopefully Felipe Anderson).
The title is a bit misleading.
He is ready for both outcomes!
Personally I would like him to stay!
I don’t necessarily blame him for being upset. But I also think he didn’t do himself any favours when he wanted to dictate where he should play. I think this will ultimately tank his valuation. Best to move on from him. Not every player will be an ESR or Saka.
It’s just business. Where would he fit in on a league winning side? He wouldn’t be happy as a squad player, so let him find a new home. We felt the same about Ox and he was better than AMN. He did well for Liverpool as a part-timer, surrounded by quality at every position. That’s where we need to get to.
He’s regarded by those lot as a flop, always injured and better for cameras than on the pitch.
at least with us he still had potential!
Arteta vastes talent again.
Comments on here make me cringe. Tossing if off over this nobody. Should have thanked his lucky stars for getting anywhere near the arsenal team
Ta ta lad a career in the lower divisions awaits.
Mate, save the heavy duty exit stuff for those that truly deserve it – Willian, Ceballos and Xhaka.
I admire is will to succeed as a midfielder. Especially when everyone is telling him he can only succeed in one position.
If he wants to stay true to his ambition then good luck to him.
People are quick to blame AMN or Arteta for this situation. However the ones really to blame for curtailing the playing time for some of our academy kids are the ones that foisted an underwhelming loanee in Ceballos and overpriced, overrated, over-the-hill Willian and Cedric on the squad. Namely, Raul and his mate, Kia, and by extension Gazidis for creating this situation. (As an aside, Gazidis should also take the blame for getting more involved with transfers, resulting in Mustafi, Kolasinac, Xhaka, the Sanchez-Mickey swap, the Ozil contract, and letting numerous players go for free.) AMN, Nelson and Willock would… Read more »
Doesn’t matter. AMN not good enough. If he was, he’d have got games.
Neither are Willian, Cedric and Ceballos. They got way more playing time than they deserved. As I previously said, AMN, Nelson and Willock would have done a better job covering those positions, cost us far less, and helped build their value, before being sold.
Sad to see him go but he’s not made the grade.