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Arsenal decided months ago Maitland-Niles would leave this summer
Arsenal and Ainsley Maitland-Niles mutually agreed months ago that the versatile midfielder would leave the Gunners on a free transfer this summer.
That is according to , who report that the 25-year-old will not have the option in his contract taken up by the Arsenal hierarchy.
It is not a huge surprise to see Ainsley Maitland-Niles find himself on the brink of moving on. He has never quite been able to take that next step and establish himself in Mikel Arteta’s side.
Arsenal to release Maitland-Niles this summer
And as Arsenal have taken several strides forward this term, it makes sense for all parties for Maitland-Niles to find a new challenge this summer.
According to , Maitland-Niles will become a free agent. And the decision was taken by Arsenal and the player months ago.
Interestingly, Southampton did have the option to sign Maitland-Niles permanently. But that clause will be voided with the Gunners not planning to extend his terms by a further year.
That would perhaps suggest that Arsenal were getting the sense that the Saints were not planning to trigger the option. And that would be little surprise right now.
Ruben Selles’ men are in big danger of dropping out of the Premier League. Meanwhile, Maitland-Niles has hardly captured the imagination on the south coast.
But their stance may perhaps change now that the England international is set to be released. And there may well be a number of other sides putting themselves in the mix.
It is a shame that he has not been able to really make the grade at Arsenal. But Mikel Arteta has lauded his ‘‘ versatility. So perhaps this may be the decision that allows Maitland-Niles to really get his career off the ground.