Ainsley Maitland-Niles hasn’t had a bad birthday.
First, he was named man-of-the-match in Arsenal’s Community Shield win over Liverpool and soon afterwards he was rewarded for his performance with a first call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
Fielded at Wembley as a left wing-back once again – the position he did so well in the FA Cup wins over Manchester City and Chelsea – the 23-year-old produced a tactically astute performance on and off the ball.
He even slotted home a penalty in the shootout as the Gunners won 5-4 following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
Maitland-Niles, an under-17 World Cup winner, has been heavily linked with a move to Wolves in recent days with reports suggesting we turned down a bid around the £15 million mark.
Given his form, surely the club has to be thinking twice about parting with a versatile player who is brimming with confidence and delivering the goods.
After the match, he told BT Sport, “I’m an Arsenal player until I’m told otherwise. My heart is in the club and whilst I’m here, I’m going to give 100 per cent every time.”
England face Iceland and Denmark in the Nations League before the Premier League gets going on 12 September. We wish Ainsley all the best.
please stay. Well deserved call up
I’ve been back and fore on this. I get we need money and he’s an asset. But he just keeps performing and keeps helping us get better as a side. I’m laying my cards on the table after today. I thought it was maybe just good form but I’m now pretty much convinced otherwise. We would be out of our minds to accept anything below £30m for this guy and even then I’d be concerned. What can we honestly do with £20 million that even comes close to the kind of quality squad depth AMN offers? I can’t see a… Read more »
I’m with you on this. He’s winning me over, and although I’m still not sure about him in a back 4, I do think it would be interesting to see him in a midfield three. His engine, athleticism and calmness on the ball could be a boon as a midfielder.
However, if we’re still going to sell him, 50m or more should be the price now that he’s been called up to the England squad.
We’ll take Partey but they can throw in 10 big ones.
He did fantastically well in a back four when Bellerin was out did you forget? He was absolutely solid. He would close down wingers and crosses with high intensity and urgency which was what I liked about him and what I didn’t like about Bellerin as good as Bellerin can be going forward he is not as solid defensive wise and he jogs towards opposition winger and doesn’t think closing and stopping crosses is high priority. he takes a laid back approach to stopping crosses whereas AMN does the opposite he literally sprints towards his marker to try and stop… Read more »
Pay off ozil?
?
Still him with a bit back clause.
To me that defies logic. Sell him for what, £20m? But a buy back clause would have to be larger than that. So lose him for the next 2 or 3 seasons and buy him back for more money.
Seems the long way round of doing things.
This is the dilemma: one of AMN or Bellerin has to stay on the bench.
They both started when we beat Man City, Chelsea, and Liverpool. In other words, they both play when we are at are best and playing our toughest opponents.
I take it you’ve never heard of using a squad…..
?
Sky sports news are now saying that AMN is staying and will be offered a new deal. Wolves know this and have ended their interest. Also his call up and recent form have now made him unaffordable
I made a comment on here midweek saying he should be in the England squad to replace Harry McBriber. Never thought it would actually happen! Please Arsenal do NOT sell him!!
That’s a different guy than Harry McDiver, right?
Our only representative in the England squad. Well in
This kid is going to be a star.
Sell him at your peril, Arsenal.
Things have turned big time for this guy in the last 6 months or so.
Hope we end up keeping this master of most positions!
Actually in 2-3 months.
It’s all in Arsenal’s hands now. The England call-up will surely boost his price, but it should also give the club pause. We really have something with AMN. He keeps upping his quality and Arteta has shown supreme confidence in him.
The club should see how much ascendance AMN has in him. He has all the qualities to be a world-class wingback. If we’re moving on from a right back, it shouldn’t be him.
It’s a difficult one cos you wouldn’t drop Tierney or Hector either. They’re all class.
It’d be nice to keep all three.
I haven’t heard that we are thinking of selling Tierney
I concur.
The problem is that there is a lack of permanence with the idea of a 3-man defence, within the club as well as the fanbase. As a result he’s not viewed as a potentially world-class wingback. Bellerín’s presence also plays a role in that.
He’s a fine player, and it’ll be nuts to get rid at this early stage. I really hope he takes his chance when he plays centrally.
On a final note, I was cracking up at his penalty: his run-up was so nonchalant (classic Ainsley), Allison must have had no idea what was coming!
Now that he’s officially an England national player, Arsenal has the right to add the English premium to his value – an automatic increase of 20m pounds. Will Wolves be willing to give us 40m for him? I’d say its a bargain, considering Chilwell went for 50…
You should be in charge of our transfers ?
Sure, I’d be happy to…in any case I’m unemployed right now.
I was expecting this! I told a friend after the FA Cup Semi-Final that if Southgate is wise, AMN must always be in his team. He’s not glamorous but he’s one of the few players with the best man-marking skills. He neutralized the threats from the left side of Chelsea, Liverpool, and City, that’s extraordinary. You need a player like AMN to neutralize the threats of your opponents especially in big games.
He’s a player transformed in half a season. He deserves to stay. But if we have to sell to fix our midfield, for god sake he’s worth more than £20mill ! MoM today, called up for the national team. Young English a regular starter. Massive sell on potential. Don’t give him away!
AMN is playing very well. He has to stay. But if the club want him to go, it’s very short sighted. He would go to Wolves for £20 million, be superb and end up a year or so later at City for £60 million. He can’t be sold.
Top player and brilliant attitude. We must keep him.
It will be a criminal act to sell him now.
FAO Arsenal ExCo: don’t be daft. Find someone else to sell.
Outside of Saka, he’s the biggest gem from the academy, and we don’t think he’s even settled into a particular position.
I think it’s so condescending that ‘squad depth / squad player’ are always tagged to Ainsley. Though I love his versatility and get that idea, this kid is so much more than that and he’s earning the right to play in his favoured position. There are youth prospects that don’t quite make that next level that you sell for a decent figure, like Iwobi. Ainsley isn’t one of those. If there were fans in the stadium, I like to think they’d be making that known. Arteta sees it, he seems to love what he’s doing. Surely we won’t sell him?!?… Read more »
Arteta should convince this guy to stay. What else does he want? The manager has showed great Faith in him by playing him regularly even against the top dogs.
Congrats to him on his well deserved call-up
From what AMN said after the game I don’t think he’s the one that needs convincing, it’s the board.
Great news and just rewards for his form. Hopefully his performances will give the board pause for thought when it comes to selling him.
Can someone please send Ainsley’s mum round to give Kroenke a bashing!?!?
He has to stay.
Leave her out of it, it’s not funny.
Congratulations to him. I hope we give him a run in midfield maybe he’s the answer and we dont know. So many players left young and years later prove to be quality.
I have to wonder what the board are thinking some times, When it was announced we placed AMN on the transfer list it was said they over ruled Arteta… Since then he has played AMN in 3 of the biggest games of our season and has definitely repaid the Managers trust in him and shown he is a player we need to keep. I do wonder since Don Raul left and we then turned down a bid from Wolves was it maybe a case of now he is no longer for sale Fingers crossed he stays with us.. We honestly… Read more »
There is no way Arsenal would let AMN go with a £15M bid. Has to be double that.
Also I think Arteta is quite good with man management. He may be able to convince AMN to stay. He was probably instrumental in continuing Dani Cabellos’s loan deal. Actually market does not have players like AMN quality, experience in that age range.
I’d almost say 30m would a risky sale. AMN has shown he has a lot to offer us
The Iwobi sale was hard to take at the time but it was right. Especially now if we keep Ainsley as he was leapfrogged somewhat unfairly by Alex at the time.
50m or Wolves can do one.
played good today. I think he has been showing better concentration levels and application certainly last several games of the season when he had opportunity.
Again with regard fullbacks, I think its between who garners highest offer in market between AMN and Kolasinac.
In terms of Rback, it makes zero sense to consider selling Bellerin. We have plenty of other issues to be dealing with. Of course Juve and PSG will be keen on him and tempt him but we should put our foot down and just hold.
F*cks sake, 15 million pounds? And to think Doherty is Sp*rs bound for 13 million. We’re helping Sp*rs if we let this happen, making ourselves considerably weaker and not even better off financially. Hold out for 40 million in the least, and make Sp*rs pay Wolves something equivalent to get their man. Anything other than that we keep AMN and extend his contract. We hold the cards here, the board best not f*ck it up.
Best thing with Niles is he gives a lot of tactical freedom to Arteta. I do get it that if we switch to back 4 then it might not be the best for him, having said that Arteta can bring him on to change tactics during the game which can take the game to a whole new level. In yesterday’s game he was the best athlete and his runs caused a lot of concern for Pool left wing. Not to forget he was solid defensively and kept Mane in complete control. He should stay with us for atleast one more… Read more »
For an England international, that’s a minimum of £40m value. If wolves want him, they know what to do.
But we need him to stay. Snuffing out fast tricky wingers is enjoyable to watch
So, given we finished 43 points behind the Hubcapnickers last season, who would have thoughthat from yesterday’s performance? Amazing. If we can’t get the players in the manager wants for the price we can afford, to my mind we should go with what we’ve got. Yesterday was essentially the Mickeys first team less Alexander-Arnold and Henderson. We were without Saliba, Gabriel ( assuming he’s coming) Laca, Torreira, Pepe and Martinelli and that doesn’t even touch on Ozil and Guendouzi. Brilliant performance. No need to panic, the captain is at the helm.
About.fucking.time.
If he was worth 20 mio before the game, he was worth 25 after it and now as an England international is worth around 30-35 I guess. Hope that will persuade us to keep him. Quality player, great character.
It’s your season to shine, Maitland-Niles.
P*as off Wolves. He’s on of our own
AMN and Saka on the wings. Future of England. Made in Arsenal.
Saka, Pepe, amn, martinelli, Willian.
Those midfielders can play across the pitch, any side and they can perform. Much like the arsenal of the early wenger era.
We have to keep him. You sell youth that hasn’t shown potential or has shown potential but doesn’t fit in the team.
Amn fits in most teams, maybe not city/Chelsea but I’m sure Liverpool would prefer him to the ox.
Sell bellerin 35m
Keep a.m.n.
Sell
Matteo g. 10m
Others for 5 m +
Buy Partey or the Lyon midfield
Don’t sell
Martinez; Bellerin; Tierny; AMN; Nelson; Willock; Saka; Pepe; Auba; Nkieta
And Saliba
Smith Rowe and Martinelli
It would be quite stupid to get rid of him in my opinion. He’s a really handy option for several positions. However, the England call up should add a few extra million to his value if we do still sell him.
It’s been an eventful couple of months for him, and clearly Arteta has reignited self belief into AMN.
Every player has his price and although I’d like him to stay, if they get an offer around £30million for him, it would be hard to turn down.
I really get the sense, after yesterday’s performance, Arsenal won’t sell. Tie him up to a new contract and really utilize him. I hope Arteta can use his powers of persuasion.
Would understand him wanting to leave to play first team football if he wasn’t getting a look in, but he played 32 times last season!
He might not be first choice in any position but given his flexibility he’ll make the squad for every game when fit.
Can’t see him playing significantly more for Wolves than he would for us tbh