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On-loan Arsenal man slated after latest performance yesterday, he’s set to leave this summer
Ainsley Maitland-Niles had a game to forget, as the on-loan Arsenal man saw his Southampton side lose a crucial game to Nottingham Forest.
The 25-year-old’s loan spell hasn’t gone to plan, and Southampton are on the brink of relegation.
from HampshireLive shared their thoughts on his performance yesterday, and it wasn’t good.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles was one of several players Mikel Arteta was looking to move on last summer.
The likes of Nicolas Pepe and Bernd Leno also left the club, and in the final moments of the transfer window, Maitland-Niles departed too.
Southampton was his destination, and the club had already suffered a poor start to the campaign.
Ralph Hassenhuttl had brought in plenty of exciting young talent, but experience was severely lacking.
So too was joined up thinking when it came to building a squad for the upcoming season.
Having left Arsenal to not play in defence, Maitland-Niles has spent much of his time at Southampton at full-back.
Ruben Selles is his third boss at St. Mary’s, and he too agrees that it’s his best role in the side.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have a great game at the City Ground with the Saints’ fate almost sealed.
Arsenal loanee Maitland-Niles struggles for Southampton
The report from HampshireLive gave Maitland-Niles a four out of ten : ‘Starting at left-back rather than on the right. Lost possession a few times frustratingly before giving away a penalty for kicking Brennan Johnson.’
The penalty Maitland-Niles conceded was clumsy and gave Nottingham Forest a two-goal lead just before half-time.
The Gunners academy graduate is set to leave the club permanently in the summer.
Maitland-Niles’s spell at Southampton won’t be how he wanted his time associated with Arsenal to have ended.
It might make it difficult for him to find a new club at the level he wants to play at.
A permanent move to Southampton seems unlikely right now if they’re playing in the Championship.
His versatility and homegrown status will make him a useful asset for a Premier League side.
However, if he wants to play in midfield, he may need to drop down and prove his worth in that role.