After Saturday, Crystal Palace must phone Arsenal & reignite interest in 2021 target – Our View

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On Saturday, it was a game of two halves between Crystal Palace and Southampton, largely thanks to Arsenal loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Ralph Hasenhuttl decided to bring the England international on at half-time in place of Ibrahima Diallo, and the midfielder – who was a target for Crystal Palace in 2021 – put in a fantastic display.

It was the Daily Mail who claimed that Crystal Palace considered a move for Maitland-Niles in 2021 before Patrick Vieira arrived, and now, the south Londoners should keep a close eye on him.

Crystal Palace should monitor Maitland-Niles

Well, the Eagles have plenty of issues in midfield, mainly in regards to depth – even Jordan Ayew has been used as a No.8 this season after Conor Gallagher was not replaced.

Understandably, interest in Maitland-Niles went cold as he was left on the sidelines at Arsenal, while also failing to shine on loan at Roma last season.

However, the 25-year-old stepped up for Southampton in his 45-minute cameo on Saturday at Selhurst Park.

The man on loan from Arsenal completed 30 passes in SE25 – one more than Jeffrey Schlupp, who played the entire game for Crystal Palace – while also making one tackle and one clearance, as WhoScored shows.

As you can see from the footage, Maitland-Niles took up a number of good areas for Southampton, helping to keep the pressure on as they battled for an equaliser, which nearly came on a few occasions.

The Hale End Academy graduate offered control in midfield, something Schlupp, Luka Milivojevic and more of Vieira’s midfield options lack.

Maitland-Niles could be a bargain for Crystal Palace

Interestingly, the Londoner’s contract with Arsenal expires in July, so Crystal Palace could get themselves a bargain.

There is one potential issue in the fact that Southampton have an option to buy Maitland-Niles, although the player himself must agree to the move.

At Selhurst Park, where he would play under a boyhood hero in Vieira, and alongside fellow Londoners of the same age such as Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, Marc Guehi and Tyrick Mitchell, there is a foundation which could lure him to south London.

If Maitland-Niles continues to impress, we see no reason why he can’t help Crystal Palace with their lack of midfield depth next season, should a deal materialise.